This is major Tom to ground control, I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today
Here am I floatin’ ’round my tin can far above the world
Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do
– Space Oddity, David Bowie
Fifty years ago today marks the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight ever. Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin took off from our humble surface on April 12, 1961 at the age of 27, and completed nearly a full orbit of the Earth over 108 minutes. So raise a glass of Russian vodka for a toast for old Yuri. Let’s hope we can fix our problems down here so we can venture out further into the stars one day again soon.
You may also want to check out:
NASA Gets Remixed
Symphony of Science Strikes Again
A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits
digitizedgraffiti.com 
Agreed! Great post. It is truly upsetting that we are not actively pursuing more space exploration. Carl Sagan must be rolling in his grave…
Absolutely. I almost posted my favourite Carl Sagan re-mix from youtube. (A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits), because his child like optimism and enthusiasm for us as a species always kind of gives me hope for a better tomorrow.