Anil Menon(@astro_anil):The Soyuz program traces its lineage to the first human spaceflight. Part of flying on the Soyuz includes joining that tradition. I wanted to share some of that experience here. Before we leave for Kazakhstan next week, we participated in that tradition and visited Red Square to lay flowers on the memorials of Yuri Gagarin, Sergey Korolev, and other cosmonauts. I’ve read a lot of books on the subject, but it’s hard to imagine what it was like to witness those first space flights. I can only think it was like seeing self-landing rockets, Artemis, and a moonbase become a reality. These next few years will be amazing to witness!

2026.06.25 15:00

The Soyuz program traces its lineage to the first human spaceflight. Part of flying on the Soyuz includes joining that tradition. I wanted to share some of that experience here. Before we leave for Kazakhstan next week, we participated in that tradition and visited Red Square to lay flowers on the memorials of Yuri Gagarin, Sergey Korolev, and other cosmonauts. I’ve read a lot of books on the subject, but it’s hard to imagine what it was like to witness those first space flights. I can only think it was like seeing self-landing rockets, Artemis, and a moonbase become a reality. These next few years will be amazing to witness!