Events
International Day of Human Space Flight, 12 April
"Since the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961, humans have set foot upon the Moon and developed the ability to work and live in Low Earth Orbit," says the new Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Simonetta Di Pippo in her
video message.
The General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12 April as the
International Day of Human Space Flight "to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes."
UNOOSA will mark the Day with a series of events:
- Launch of the "Messages from Space Explorers to future generations": On 11 April, UNOOSA will launch the third edition of collection of messages from men and women who have travelled into space serves as a tribute to their achievements and is an inspiration for future generations. The 2014 Series will be available on the
UNOOSA website.
- Exhibition at the Vienna International Centre, 7-18 April: An exciting and unique exhibition can be viewed in the VIC from 7 to 18 April as part of the regular tours organized by the UN Visitor's Service. The exhibition showcases examples of handwritten messages UNOOSA has received from the many men and women who have travelled into space after Gagarin's historic flight The exhibition can be viewed during these two weeks.
- Twitter chat: Join astronaut and UN Expert on Space Applications Takao Doi in celebrating the International Day of Human Space Flight in a Twitter Chat with on 11 April at 3pm CET. Participants can send questions to @UNOOSA using #OOSAChat
