Celebrate Yuri’s Night of Human Space Flight this Saturday (April 10) with Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye (aka Scientist Guy), Former NASA Astronaut and NFL Player Leland Melvin, Virgin Galactic Founder Sir Richard Branson, OK Go Group, Astronaut Inspiration4 Sian Proctor among other special space guests.
Monday, April 12, marks two important space anniversaries: 60 years since the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space (April 12, 1961), and 40 years since the first flight of a reusable spacecraft (April 12, 1981 of the year).
Yuri Night, an annual event co-created by space travel writer and supporter Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides and Virgin Galactic Chief Space Officer George Whitesides, which celebrates human space flight, will also celebrate its 20th anniversary with this year’s Global Livestream event.
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This year, Yuri’s Night will go virtual with a global event on the Seed of the Earth, a reference to the book The Parable of the Sower by science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler. NASA recently named the landing site of the Perseverance rover “Octavia E. Butler Landing” after the author.
“The book provides a powerful vision of a spiritual journey that can unite communities in difficult times and inspire them to see the stars of life,” said Yuri’s Night in a statement emailed to Space.com. “That vision seemed right this year,” Loretta Whitesides said in a statement.
A number of interesting events and performances will take place at Yuri’s Night throughout the evening. Of the activities you can expect, OK Go will feature a brand new collaborative music video made with the help of fans from home during the pandemic.
You can even come to Yuri’s Night a full day earlier this year, as there will be a special event on Twitch on Friday (April 9) featuring the Everyday Astronaut, space travel writer and historian Amy Shira Teitel, and YouTube personality and astrophysicist Scott. … Courageous.
How to get to the party
Since this is a virtual event, Yuri’s Night 2021 will be available to everyone around the world online. You can watch the event live on Space.com and YouTube, and more information on the event can be found on the Yuri’s Night website. The event will begin at 7:00 pm ET (11:00 pm GMT).
You can even host your own virtual clock party with Livestream and enjoy the event with friends via Zoom.
Yuri’s Night is a free event, but for those looking to get a little closer to the action, there are two paid experience options: a “backstage pass,” which includes a pre-show party, video chats with celebrities, and after parties. and a “VVIP package” which additionally includes “souvenirs”, drinks delivery to your home and a private online party with private astronaut Richard Garriott. You can find out more about these options on the Yuri’s Night website.
Special guests
This year, Yuri’s Night will feature several special guests, including: Bill Nye, Sir Richard Branson, Sian Proctor, Leland Melvin, Richard Garriott, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Head of Star Trek. Producer Rod Roddenberry, National Geographic Researcher Vasfia Nazrin, Everyday Astronaut Tim Dodd, Tesla Pickup Producer Simone Hertz, Former SpaceX Design Director Hillary Coe, Calvin Manning, Deputy Director of Kennedy Space Center, Frank White, Author of the Overview Effect and Virgin Galactic Flight Ticket Owner Trevor Beatty.
Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@ or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.