California Science Center

Conceived as a global space party by Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides and George Whitesides at UNISPACE III,  Yuri’s Night launched on April 12, 2001, as a fun way to connect the world through a shared celebration of humanity’s achievements in space exploration. April 12 is the dual anniversary of the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961 and the first launch of a reusable spacecraft, space shuttle Columbia, by Bob Crippen and John Young in 1981. The evening at the…