NASA Hosts Yuri's Night, April 12
Annual Celebration for Space Exploration and Sustainable Technology
NASA Ames Research Center open to public on April 12 for Yuri's Night Bay Area 2008. Party honors first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, and first space shuttle launch by U.S.
What is Yuri’s Night?
Yuri’s Night occurs annually on April 12, when at least 100 “World Parties for Space” happen simultaneously in 32 countries on six continents to commemorate two things: Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s 108-minute orbit around earth on April 12, 1961; and America’s launch of space shuttle Columbia, the first reusable spacecraft, on April 12, 1981.
In 2008, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) turns 50 years old. To celebrate, NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA will host Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008. Yuri’s Night North America, Zero Gravity Arts Consortium, Golden Star Productions, Symbiosis, Alchemiculture and Ecogatherings are partners of the event. Expected attendance is 8000 people.
“Absolutely everybody is invited,” says Jessy Cowan-Sharp, one of NASA’s Yuri’s Night Bay Area architects.
“Yuri’s Night is about making NASA and what NASA does more accessible,” says Cowan-Sharp, “and in turn making all the things that NASA stands for more tangible – exploration, innovation, and having a vision for the future of our species.”
Where to Celebrate
Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008 promises to be central party command.
NASA Ames Research Center will open to the public 480,000 square feet of hangar and tarmac space. For your entertainment: Interact with installations of space-and-science-inspired art and technology; expect permformance art by interdisciplinary dance company, Capacitator, and “alien insects” Bad Unkl Sista. Two dozen electronic musicians, live vocalists, and instrumentalists will rock two stages. At dusk, the aerial stunt team Aeronautika takes to the skies with three aerobatic aircraft.
Festivities take off at 2 p.m. and remain in orbit until 2 a.m. Tickets for Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008 are available online for $40. Tickets purchased at the door will cost $50. Children under 12 are admitted for $20. And VIP seating is $200.
Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008 welcomes families and youth from 2 p.m. until sunset. Anyone under 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Video game designer Will Wright will speak. The Instructables will hold a do-it-yourself show-and-tell, and Howtoons will provide educational games and activities. Adults can return to the party by retaining wristbands and ticket stubs.
If you can’t make it to Central California on April 12th, worldwide locations for Yuri’s Night festivities range from Katmandu to Madrid; Stuttgart, Germany to Lahore, Pakistan; Los Angeles to Houston, where a zero gravity flight will be raffled. You can also host your own Yuri’s Night party.
Beyond a Party, What’s the Point?
“Radical Technology for a Sustainable Future” is the theme of Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2008. Speakers scheduled to share their expertise on this topic include Stewart Brand, founder of the Long Now Foundation and the Whole Earth Catalog; NASA G.R.E.E.N. Team Leader and astrobiologist, Jonathan Trent; Saul Griffith, founder of Makani Power; and Chris Perkins, CEO of Sky Tran, a futuristic, urban mass-transit company.
These experts won’t be the only ones talking, however. You’ll be expected to participate, too, as organizers introduce the Festival of Ideas, motivated to get people talking about space exploration, environmental sustainability and the future of humanity.
So, forget rock stars. April 12th is Yuri’s Night, when the whole world learns to party like astronauts. Now that’s radical.
Dos and Don’ts for Yuri’s Night Bay Area
- Do wear a costume, especially space-inspired attire.
- Do bring something warm to wear.
- Do carpool or take public transportation. Free shuttles to NASA Ames Research Center are available from the Mountain View Caltrain Station on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View.
- Do feel free to take amateur videos and photographs.
- Don’t forget to apply for a press pass, if you are a commercial photographer or videographer.
- Do remember that Yuri’s Night Bay Area is located at a federal facility.
- Don’t attempt to bring alcohol, weapons, or drugs deemed illegal by the federal government.
