I Could Have Gone On Flying Through

I Saw For The First Time The Earth's Shape. I Could Easily See The Shores Of Continents, Islands, Great Rivers, Folds Of The Terrain, Large Bodies Of Water. The Horizon Is Dark Blue, Smoothly Turning To Black. . . The Feelings Which Filled Me I Can Express With One Word-joy.

Rays Were Blazing Through The Atmosphere Of The Earth, The Horizon Became Bright Orange, Gradually Passing Into All The Colors Of The Rainbow: From Light Blue To Dark Blue, To Violet And Then To Black. What An Indescribable Gamut Of Colors! Just Like The Paintings Of The Artist Nicholas Roerich.

To Be The First To Enter The Cosmos, To Engage, Single-handed, In An Unprecedented Duel With Nature-could One Dream Of Anything More?

The Earth Is Blue... How Wonderful. It Is Amazing

When They Saw Me In My Space Suit And The Parachute Dragging Alongside As I Walked, They Started To Back Away In Fear. I Told Them, Don’t Be Afraid, I Am A Soviet Like You, Who Has Descended From Space And I Must Find A Telephone To Call Moscow!