We have lift off of Gagarin.

      ``Beyond Moon and Mars (BMM)'' loves music. But, it is passionate about one particular type of music. Any guess what it could be?

      It is the awesome and mighty roar and thunder of a rocket lifting off from the launch pad.which is music to the ear of BMM. It constantly hears this music and plays it any number of times on its com.

     BMM has heard this music several times at Sriharikota while watching either a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) or th Geo Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) take off----needless to say the PSLV has been more frequent.

      BMM has stood atop the tank located in the terrace of Sriharikota's Brahm Prakash hall, listened to this music and waited till its sound gradually faded away and the beautiful rocket itself disappeared out of sight. Driving out of Sriharikota, the music always echoed in BMM's ear.

      On Tuesday---which is exactly a week away from the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin----a Russian rocket carrying a Soyuz spacecraft named Gagarin with a three-man crew took off from the Baikonous cosmodrome for the International Space Station. The mission has been designated Expedition 27.

      This mission is of special significance because it commemorates the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's historic flight on April 12, 1961. BMM was not present at Baikonour to witness the launch early on Tuesday. But, it downloaded a video of the launch and the sound of the take off was of course music to its ear!

      The rocket rose higher and higher and BMM could see that Baikonour and its surrounding area resounded to the music of the lift off for quite some.

      Great moments----Gagarin.