科技英语新闻:UN exhibition marks 50th anniversary of first human space flight

UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight, accomplished on April 12, 1961 by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the Russian Federal Space Agency and the ITAR-TASS information agency organized an exhibition which was opened here on Thursday.

"The first human space flight is not one of the most significant events of the past century, but of human history in general," Vitaly Churkin, the Russian permanent representative to the UN, said at the opening ceremony.

"It's a symbol of courage, thirst for knowledge, and progress," Churkin said.

The exhibition contained archival photos telling the story of the first human space flight and of those who made it possible, and historic pictures of Gagarin.

As part of the celebration of human space flight's 50th anniversary the UN Postal Administration designed postal stamps which will be issued on April 12, to tell the story of progress that humankind has made beyond earth's boundaries, as Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information put it.

"Fifty years have passed since that amazing voyage, but the legend of Gagarin's courage and journey to the 'final frontier' continues to be a source of inspiration for space exploration for peoples and nations around the world," Akasaka said at the opening of the exhibition.

According to Akasaka, the exhibition "sparks people's imagination about what is possible through the peaceful use and exploration of outer space."

Other attendees included Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov.

Gagarin, also known as the Columbus of the Cosmos, traveled into outer space on the height of the Cold War when the Berlin Wall was built, at a moment when it was hardly impossible to imagine that more than 15 nations would work together in humanity' s permanent space outpost -- the International Space Station.

The Russian icon of space spoke the historic words "the earth is blue, how wonderful. It is amazing."

On Thursday the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight.