Address by Yu. A. Gagarin to Radio Amateurs

A year ago, on April 12, 1961, through the intellect and labor, the will and perseverance of millions of Soviet people building a bright tomorrow—communism—the age-old dream of humanity was realized: for the first time in history, a human being ventured into space! The triumph of Soviet science and technology was made possible by the immense and multifaceted work of Soviet scientists, engineers, and workers. This day marked the beginning of a new era for humanity—the era of space exploration!

I, a citizen of the Soviet Union, was granted the great honor of carrying out the mission of the Communist Party and the Soviet government—to make the first space flight aboard the remarkable Vostok satellite spacecraft, equipped with top-tier modern technology. Reliable rocket technology, sophisticated automated systems, and the diverse radio-electronic and cybernetic means created by our engineers and engineers instilled in me confidence that the scientific objectives set forth would be successfully achieved—a fact confirmed by the entire course of the flight. While in space, I never felt isolated from the Soviet people; in carrying out the flight mission, I was fulfilling the will of the entire Soviet nation!

The flight of the satellite spacecraft was also followed by you—thousands of Soviet radio amateurs. And although its flight plan provided for two-way radio communication only between the spacecraft and specialized ground tracking stations, there can be no doubt that in future space flights, our cosmonaut pilots will indeed be able to establish radio contact with you—radio amateurs, the active readers of our magazine Radio. Thus, you too will become direct participants in supporting the flights of our spacecraft.

I wish you, dear comrades, continued success in your work.

Major Yuri Gagarin,
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR,
Hero of the Soviet Union
(Radio magazine, No. 4, 1962)