Khrushchev Marks Anniversary of Man in Space

April 12, 2011

Watson Institute Senior Fellow Sergei Khrushchev has been reflecting on the moment when man first entered space, as the world commemorates the 50th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s 90-minute orbit around the Earth. It was a feat that had political as well as scientific implications, Khrushchev says, in recent interviews by the BBC, Providence Journal, and in the Russian media. He recalls a celebration in the streets of Moscow that rivaled Victory Day at the end of World War II, as the world looked on and America suffered another loss in its space race with the Soviet Union. On Thursday at 4pm, Khrushchev is also participating in a forum on campus titled “Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the First Human in Space: The Flight of Yuri Gagarin.”