Serbia Releases Unique Stamps To Mark 60th Anniversary Of First Manned Space Flight

In a rare spark of philatelic enthusiasm Serbia is marking the 60th anniversary of the first manned flight into space by issuing postage stamps depicting three Soviet pioneers of space travel, Serbia's Post General Director Zoran Djordjevic revealed to Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2021) In a rare spark of philatelic enthusiasm Serbia is marking the 60th anniversary of the first manned flight into space by issuing postage stamps depicting three Soviet pioneers of space travel, Serbia's Post General Director Zoran Djordjevic revealed to Sputnik.

On April 12, 1961, Gagarin pronounced his famous "Poyekhali!" (Let's Go!) as the Vostok spacecraft lifted off the ground, taking the first person ever to space.

"Today, 60 years later, Gagarin's face on the Serbian stamp propelled philately in Serbia into orbit," Djordjevic, who served as minister of defense and of labor in previous governments said. "On April 12, 2021, the national postal service of Serbia will release a special edition of commemorative stamps celebrating the flight of Yuri Gagarin into space."

Djordjevic added that besides the Gagarin, stamps were made with the likeness of Gherman Titov, the second man in space, and Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

The stamp with Tereshkova is the first in Serbia's philatelic history that a living foreigner is shown on their stamp.

"The Serbian people have a great respect and feel proud of any achievements by the fraternal Russian nation, and these feelings have been pressed by commemorative stamps edition which brings back the memories of the great success of the Soviet space exploration era," Djordjevic said.

He went on to explain that the idea was immediately supported by Roscosmos Head Dimitri Rogozin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the unique commemorative collectible stamps under the number one, the official told Sputnik. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic will become the owner of the second print of the stamps, while Ragozin will receive the stamps numbered three.

To mark the occasion on Monday, the postal service will open a special exhibition at the National Post Museum, in collaboration with the Russian embassy in the country, that will feature the history of Soviet and Russian space exploration in stamps.

The exhibition will showcase over 200 stamps including the first-ever Societ space exploration-themed stamps, first-ever Gagarin stamp, silver and golden space stamps, the biggest ever postage stamp in the world depicting Soviet cosmonauts, Russian and Serbian friendship stamps, Russian cosmos-themed stamps with errors.

"The exhibition is a panorama of philately, space exploration and Serbian and Russian friendship," Djordjevic said.

He also noted Serbia's participation in the international Space Suit Art Project, which involved young cancer patients making a spacesuit that was sent to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz rocket on April 9.

"Serbian oncology pediatric patients have sent their dreams to space on the Dreamer spacesuit which has already arrived at the International Space Station," Djordjevic said.

The project began in the US by artist Ian Cion and US astronaut and artist Nicole Stott and grew to become a global project developed by the US Space for Art Foundation and the Russian Unity Foundation. The project is supported by dozens of international hospitals, cosmonauts, astronauts, artists, scientists, doctors and many other supporters and volunteers.

On April 7, 2011, the UN General Assembly proclaimed April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's first space flight. The resolution was co-authored by more than 60 UN member states.