An Apollo capsule in one corner, meteorites in another, and a mural of the Earth as seen from space act were a backdrop for the students milling around tables stocked with chips and astronaut ice cream. A space-themed board game being explained in depth, a discussion about when humans will set foot on Mars, and the musical score to “Apollo 13” drifts through the conversations. The Fernbank Science Center was abuzz on April 12th as The Planetary Society at Georgia Tech hosted their first Yuri’s Night Atlanta event, funded by Northrop Grumman. Yuri’s Night originated in 2001 as a worldwide celebration of spaceflight held on the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s flight, the first person in space in 1961. This year Yuri’s Night was celebrated in over 50 countries, from the South Pole research station to Finland, with one happening party right here in Atlanta!
Yuri’s Night Atlanta had mostly college students in attendance, but also included members of the community and aerospace industry for a space party with over 100 guests. Guest speaker A.C. Charania, president of SpaceWorks Commercial, gave a talk on present and future human spaceflight concepts. Afterwards the guests enjoyed a planetarium show about Mars and competed in Space Trivia for prizes such as model rockets and space-themed posters. Many also took advantage of the clear night and the large observatory that Fernbank Science Center has to offer, and observed Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
The Planetary Society at Georgia Tech hopes to host Yuri’s Night Atlanta as an annual event. Space outreach is an important goal of the student organization, and Yuri’s Night Atlanta is both a fun and informative way to celebrate the start of human spaceflight and look toward the future of what we can accomplish in space.
If you would like to join The Planetary Society at Georgia Tech and participate in outreach activities such as Yuri’s Night Atlanta, email planetaryGT@gmail.com for more information. Many thanks go to Northrop Grumman for providing funding for the Yuri’s Night Atlanta event.