At the Paris headquarters of UNESCO an event was held in honor of the 60th anniversary of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and 50th anniversary of the flight of Yuri Gagarin. Over 500 guests of honor gathered in the capital of France. They included representatives of national space agencies, academics, engineers and cosmonauts. One of the guests from Russia was cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev.
At UNESCO an informal meeting of former IAF presidents with the current president Berndt Feuerbacher of Germany, the press service of Roscomos reports,
Created in 1951, the International Astronautical Federation is a worldwide federation of organizations active in space.
After the Second World War, the former allies of the United States and the Soviet Union moved in very different directions, each vying to militarily outwit the other. In the tense Cold War atmosphere, scientists found themselves in an increasingly polarized world where most of the dialogue between the rival superpowers was being closed down. So, six years after the Iron Curtain descended scientists working in the field of space research founded the International Astronautical Federation in an attempt to re-establish that dialogue.
In its early years, the Federation and its annual International Astronautical Congresses – better known as the IAC – were one of the few forums where East and West could meet during the Space Race.
Following its theme “A space-faring world cooperating for the benefit of humanity", the Federation advances the knowledge about space and the development and application of space assets for the benefit of humanity.
The International Astronautical Federation is now the world’s leading space advocacy organization with 205 members in 58 countries including all leading agencies, space companies, societies, associations and institutes worldwide.
Russkiy Mir Foundation Information Service
