A poll finds that one-third of Russians have dreams of being a cosmonaut, venturing into space and seeing the world from the sky.

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Bashkirova and Partners, an independent polling company, did the survey of 500 people to mark Cosmonautics Day, April 12, the anniversary of the date space pioneer Yuri Gagarin became the first person space in 1961.

Young people are the most likely to say they would like to go into space, Itar-Tass reports, with about half answering yes to the question. That is down from the glory days of the Soviet space program when most children wanted to follow Gagarin.

Seventeen percent of those aged 50 to 59, who were children in 1961, still have cosmonaut dreams. The percentage is a little higher, 24 percent, among those over 60.

The poll also found a high interest in news of space among Russians, with men aged 18 to 39 the biggest fans.