International Day of Human Space Flight
An outer space view of the Colorado River, surrounded by part of Arizona and Utah. The photo was taken from the space shuttle orbiter Columbia during the first space transportation system test mission, 04/12/1981
April 12 is the anniversary of two milestones in space exploration, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's voyage as the first human into space on 4/12/1961 and the first Space Shuttle mission, by the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbiaon 4/12/1981 (STS-1). This photograph was taken taken on the first day of the mission.
In recognition of Gagarins’ historic first mission, April 12 is now commemorated as the International Day of Human Space Flight.