Space Pioneer Day

From SEDSWiki

Written for submittal to FL legislature to create a new "holiday" for space.

Note: this is not intended to be a holiday where you get a day off from work--only a commemoration noted on calendars and recognized around the world similar to Valentine's Day.

This day will be on April 12, the same as Yuri's Night, the World Party for Space.

SPACE PIONEER DAY DECLARATION

Whereas outer space represents the next great frontier for human exploration; and,

Whereas hundreds of men and women have risked their lives in opening the frontier of space for all humanity; and,

Whereas some of these brave souls lost their lives in the pursuit of knowledge and exploration; and,

Whereas no annual state or national holiday exists to honor the spirit of exploration and knowledge and selflessness that characterizes those space explorers who continue to risk their lives for the betterment of their world; and,

Whereas the United Nations’ “World Space Week” is based on the technological achievement of the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and the signing of the U.N. Space Treaty, not any human achievement in space; and,

Whereas April 12 is both the anniversary of the first launch of the Space Shuttle with John Young and Bob Crippen in 1981 and the first launch of Yuri Gagarin, the first human into space, in 1961; and ,

Whereas the celebration of the individual astronauts, engineers, and others who have made possible the exploration of space would provide inspiration for the youth of the State of Florida and the United States of America to pursue careers in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics;

We therefore decree from this day forward April 12 will be celebrated as SPACE PIONEER DAY.