--- title: "Space Conference Censors Name of First Human in Space Because He Was Russian" description: "While falling over themselves to support Ukraine, a space industry conference has removed the name of celebrated Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin from its agenda." date: "2022-03-16" modified: "2022-03-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/space-conference-censors-yuri-gagarin" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "cosmonauts" - "Russia" - "ukraine" --- # Space Conference Censors Name of First Human in Space Because He Was Russian ![While falling over themselves to support Ukraine, a space industry conference has removed the name of celebrated Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin from its agenda.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* Whipping themselves into a [Freedom Fries-esque]() fit of censoriousness, a space industry conference has removed the name of celebrated Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel into space, from an event. The nonprofit Space Foundation [announced]() in a [now-deleted]() note that "in light of current world events" it would be changing the name of a fundraiser from "Yuri's Night" to "A Celebration of Space: Discover What’s Next" at its Space Symposium conference. "The focus of this fundraising event remains the same — to celebrate human achievements in space while inspiring the next generation to reach for the stars," the deleted update notes. It's a rather dubious show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, especially considering that Gagarin worked for the USSR, a completely different country from modern day Russia. And the icing on the cake? Ukraine actually appears to be rather fond of Gagarin and his monumental achievement. https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1503751346016735244 Erasing the name of the first person to ever fly to space while supposedly celebrating "human achievements in space" is bad enough. But doing so in line with the milquetoast trend of disavowing all things Russian, including [famous composers]() and [food products](), amid the country's current invasion of Ukraine is just outrageous. For instance, a [2011 Ukraine stamp commemorated the 50th anniversary]() of his pioneering space flight. And the [recently-bombed Chernihiv Stadium]() was renamed by the Soviets as the "[Yuri Gagarin Stadium]()" back in the 1960s, and is also [still referred to as such]() by fans despite a new official name. In a post published last year about [Gagarin's often-overlooked relationship with Ukraine](), the country's Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute noted that during his first and only visit to the capitol city in 1966, the cosmonaut had kind words to say about the country's capital, which was part of the USSR at the time. "My friend Pavel Popovich told me a lot about the beauty of Kyiv," Gagarin reportedly said when visiting school children at a youth center, "but what I’ve seen with my eyes is incomparable to what I’ve heard!" https://twitter.com/MolinaStreetArt/status/1500961685510799366 It's far from the first time on-Earth geopolitics have affected the world of spaceflight — hell, NASA likely wouldn't have made it to the Moon as soon as it did [if it hadn't been for the Cold War](). Space cooperation [between the United States and Russia]() has led to decades of remarkable international unity and scientific research, even as politics have, [on occasion](), strained that delicate alliance. Censoring Yuri Gagarin's name will not help a single Ukrainian fend off Russia's invasion, but it does serve as yet another reminder that fair weather activism[ often flies in the face of reality](). **More on US-Russia space cooperation:** [*NASA Says Its Astronaut Is Definitely Still Carpooling Back to Earth On A Russian Spacecraft*]() **More bizarre Russia news:** *[Elon Musk Threatens Vladimir Putin With Flamethrower]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()