Veteran Astronauts Celebrate 60 Year Anniversary of Sputnik Launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome
The most cosmic city on Earth, Baikonur had a grand celebration on the 60th anniversary of studying the Universe. The launch of the first man-made Earth satellite. In Korolev park, they held a rally with the veterans of the space industry.
Then there was a festive march. Hundreds of people walked down the city, then there was a colorful retro car and bike parade. The final accord was a concert.
In Paris, to honor the anniversary, the Russian spiritual center opened a conference. French cosmonauts thanked their Russian colleagues, some even said it in Russian.
Jean-François Clervoy, European Agency Astronaut: "The Sputnik launch showed us what the human mind is capable of. This was very hard to achieve, but it was a worldwide breakthrough".
Thomas Pesquet, European Agency Astronaut: "I want to say that for us, it was a start of a space era — a launch of a satellite from Earth. I want to thank our Russian friends for the successful launch".