A free screening of a documentary about Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin is being held in Auckland to mark 50 years since he was the first man into space.
Tuesday, April 12 this year marks 50 years since Gagarin became the first human in space.
On April 12, 1961 Gagarin boarded the spacecraft Vostok 1 in Kazakhstan and blasted off, making a single orbit of the Earth before touching down again safely 108 minutes later.
Gagarin (1934-68) grew up on a collective farm in Russia, enduring Nazi occupation during World War II. He gained his pilot's wings in a MiG-15, rising to the rank of Senior Lieutenant in the Soviet air force before being selected to become a cosmonaut. He was chosen ahead of the 19 other cosmonauts in the Soviet space programme for the first manned launch into space.
Gagarin, who was feted as a hero on his return, said of his momentous journey, "I could have gone on flying through space forever".
Astronomical organisations around the world are marking the 50th anniversary with special commemorative events this month, including screenings of a new film documenting the journey, First Orbit.
First Orbit is 108 minutes long - the same length of time as Gagarin's historic journey. The film intercuts newly filmed images of the Earth shot to mimic what Gagarin would have seen from the windows of Vostok 1, with a mesmerizing musical score from Philip Sheppard.
The soundtrack features Gagarin's actual recorded conversation with the ground in Russian (subtitled into English) and the Radio Moscow English language broadcasts from the time.
In Auckland, Stardome Observatory & Planetarium in association with KiwiSpace Foundation and the Embassy of the Russian Federation are presenting a free one-off screening of this new film at Stardome on Tuesday, April 12 at 6.30pm. The public are invited to celebrate this scientific milestone by coming along to watch the screening.
What a ride
Although this is a free event, booking is essential. To book a seat, Ph 09 624 1246 or email info@stardome.org.nz
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Aucklander
What have we learned from the Auckland floods?
OPINION: There have been changes to warn city residents to get to higher ground.