Poyekhali!
포예할리!
The exclamation uttered by Yuri Gagarin at the moment of Vostok 1's launch on 12 April 1961, literally meaning 'Let's go!' Gagarin later recalled that he deliberately chose a cheerful, ordinary tone to ease the tension at the launch pad, following the habit of test pilot Mark Gallay, who used the informal 'Poyekhali!' instead of the regulation 'Crew, taking off!' during cosmonaut training. The phrase immediately became a symbol of the dawn of the Space Age and entered everyday speech across the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc as an expression for any new beginning.
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Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian Wikipedia dedicated article on the phrase: Gagarin's utterance at Vostok 1 launch, its origin from test pilot Mark Gallay's habit, its use in Pakhmutova/Dobronravov's 1971 song cycle 'Constellation Gagarin', and its status as a symbol of the space era.
- Wikipedia (EN) English Wikipedia: Gagarin's farewell to Korolev using the informal 'Poyekhali!' which 'later became a popular expression in the Eastern Bloc that was used to refer to the beginning of the Space Age.'
- Wikipedia (EN) English Wikipedia: details of the launch sequence and the dialogue between Korolev and Gagarin including the 'Poyekhali!' exchange.