4/12: 2017 Yuri's Night world space party

It was April 12, 1961. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, aboard a spacecraft called the Swallow, became the first man in space and rocketed the Soviet space program into the history books. Aboard Vostok-1, Gagarin radioed from above the Earth, "My spirits are high. The machine is functioning normally."

Gagarin, born on a collective farm, dreamed not only of breaking Earth's boundaries, but away from toiling in the factory to which socialism had sentenced him. After finishing the sixth grade, he took trade school entrance exams and would study casting and forging while simultaneously training for factory work. It was later, while attending industrial college, Gagarin learned to fly at an aero club. That accomplishment got him into air force training college. When he learned that airmen were being selected to train as cosmonauts, he immediately applied. After much testing, he got the response he had been hoping for: "For you the stratosphere is not the limit."

Gagarin's history making flight made him an instant Soviet hero. The USSR designated April 12 as Cosmonautics Day, celebrating that first wild ride around the planet and the brave man who survived it. Today people around the world celebrate Yuri's Night with the goal of "bringing the excitement, passion and promise of space travel closer to people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds."

The New Mexico Museum of Space History joins the party each year with a special Yuri's Night celebration for museum members only. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 12, beginning at 6:00 pm on the museum's first floor. Authentic Russian hors d'ouevres (yes, they eat more than borscht) will be served along with refreshments. A special presentation A Walk on the Wild Side: Russian Space Stations will be given by Museum Executive Director Chris Orwoll. Dress is American casual, Russian casual, or spacesuits.

The event is open to museum members only and is free to them, as one of many benefits of membership. Museum memberships, through the International Space Hall of Fame Foundation, help support many programs at the museum including educational programs, exhibits and a variety of special projects. In addition to supporting the museum, members receive a wide variety of benefits like free admission to the museum all year long, free admission to digital planetarium shows at the New Horizons Theater, discounts in the gift shop and for summer camp programs, and free admission to over 200 participating American Science and Technology Centers across the country.