Space station crew marks space flight milestones

By Marcia Dunn, 
Associated Press
April 12, 2011

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/12/MNOD1IUB7O.DTL

On the eve of two prominent space anniversaries, the six
humans circling the Earth said Monday they will join in the
celebrations from the best vantage point of all - orbit.

Tuesday is the 50th anniversary of humanity's first journey
into space and 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle
launch.

"We're going to spend the day tomorrow recognizing it in
probably the best place you possibly can," said American
astronaut Ronald Garan Jr., who arrived at the International
Space Station last week.

The space station's Russian commander, Dmitry Kondratyev,
said the human dream of flying to the stars came true with
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's flight on April 12, 1961.
Twenty-three days later, American Alan Shepard became the
second man in space.

"Fifty years is a short period of time in history, but look
at that leap from a small spacecraft to the huge
International Space Station," Kondratyev said.


To read more, go to: 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/11/MNOD1IUB7O.DTL#ixzz1JMRLIK4j

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Yuri's Night, fiftieth Anniversary of Human Spaceflight
April 12, 2011

go to: http://yurisnight.net/

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