YuriGagarin50: a UK initiative to celebrate the 50~(th) anniversary of the first human spaceflight

摘要

On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin made the first human flight in space. 12 April 2011 was the 50th anniversary of this. General interest in astronauts is high and is a powerful tool for education, outreach and public engagement. Consequently, as well as being a notable anniversary in its own right, 2011 also offered an excellent opportunity for space outreach through use of the 'Gagarin hook' to capture the public's attention which, subsequently, could be redirected to the benefit of the wider space community. In order to take advantage of this opportunity in the United Kingdom, YuriGagarin50 was launched in 2010 to provide a single overarching framework to stimulate and facilitate events/activities. With modest funding and a core of volunteers, YuriGagarin50 has had significant impact in raising the level of awareness, both of the anniversary itself and of space activities in general. As a result, a range of events took place in the UK during two main 2011 'launch windows': April (the anniversary of Gagarin's flight) and, July (anniversary of Gagarin's post-flight visit to the UK). These included: First Orbit, a film made on the International Space Station, 'Rockets for Yuri - resource packs for simple rocket making, the gathering of 'Memories of Gagarin from people who met/saw him in 1961, numerous public talks and lectures, at least pieces of drama, public art and books have been, produced. In addition to this, timelines for Gagarin's life, spaceflight and his visit to the UK respectively have been produced. The success of YuriGagarin50 and its programme is evidenced by the fact that they have been formally incorporated in the UK-Russia Space Year Agreement signed by Roscosmos and the UK Space Agency in February 2011.