Join the new world

宇宙旅行は不可能だと考え られていた

I have been asked by my good friend and fellow scholar Hitoshi Makoto of the Mage's Retort to write an article in honor of today, International Yuri Day. And while I have been rather busy, it would be inappropriate of me not to take the effort to at least write something.



And the truth is, Japan, that Yuri has long been an inspiration for me. Through those darkest of times, I can look up at Yuri and remember that we have overcome far worse. As the man who first “slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God,” Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, a carpenter's son from Smolensk Oblast, is a model for anyone who questions man's ability to overcome.



Though he died tragically in a plane accident, most likely due to the failings of others, Yuri remains a model for those of us looking to accomplish something great, despite the odds. Beyond just being the first man in space, Yuri reminds us what it means to be a hero. For not only is he well-known for that first flight, but for representing the people around the world. As a carpenter's son, Yuri came from some of the humblest of beginnings, but ultimately rose to the highest highs of the world... and beyond!



So this International Yuri Day, let us not only remember what Yuri did for mankind, but also remember what it meant for mankind. That a human being reached up and touched the face of God, a carpenter's son from Smolensk, is among the greatest accomplishments in history.



日本はすぐに宇宙開発に乗 り出すだろう