YURI'S NIGHT — SAN DIEGO COUNTY'S WORLD SPACE PARTY"

Several San Diego spaceflight advocacy groups are collaborating to celebrate cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin at the YURI'S NIGHT WORLD SPACE PARTY, an international celebration held on April 12 every year to commemorate the first human spaceflight.

The San Diego YURI'S NIGHT WORLD SPACE PARTY will take place on Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at:

Killer Pizza From Mars
3772 Mission Ave. at El Camino Real
Oceanside, CA 92054
Phone: 760-722-6060
killerpizzafrommars.com/oceanside.htm

This event is open to the public. Cost is $10.00 per person (plus drinks and side dishes other than pizza). Please RSVP to: events@sandiegospace.org


Special guest speakers at the San Diego YURI'S NIGHT WORLD SPACE PARTY include:

Francis French: a San Diego-based book and magazine author specializing in space flight history. He is currently the Director of Education at the San Diego Air & Space Museum and was a former Educations Program Coordinator at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and Director of Events for Sally Ride Science. He is also coauthor of two award-winning books on astronauts and space exploration: “In The Shadow of the Moon” and “Into That Silent Sea”. French will give a multimedia presentation about cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Scott Borden: an Accredited Space Agent for Virgin Galactic, is the source in San Diego for information and reservations on Sir Richard Branson's private space venture. The first vehicle rollout is just months away, with commercial operations on target to begin in late 2009/early 2010. Borden, who holds reservation #552 aboard VSS Enterprise, will host a multimedia presentation about Virgin Galactic, the world's first private spaceline.


The goals of YURI'S NIGHT WORLD SPACE PARTY are to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. Driven by space-inspired artistic expression and culminating in a worldwide network of annual celebrations and educational events, Yuri's Night creates a community of people committed to shaping the future of space exploration while developing responsible leaders and innovators with a global perspective. These events are a showcase for elements of culture that embrace space including music, dance, fashion, and art.


The organizations coordinating the San Diego YURI'S NIGHT WORLD SPACE PARTY include:

• San Diego Space Society (http://sandiegospace.org/),

• The Mars Society - San Diego (http://MarsSanDiego.org/),

• The UCSD Chapter of Students For The Exploration and Development of Space -- SEDS (http://www.seds.org/), and

• The Moon Society (http://www.moonsociety.org/).


For additional information regarding the San Diego YURI'S NIGHT WORLD SPACE PARTY, please contact:

Dave Dressler
San Diego Space Society Chapter
National Space Society
760-712-7899
dresslernss@gmail.com
http://SDSpace.org

OR

Gerry Williams
The Mars Society - San Diego
619/723-3456
filmist@mac.com
http://MarsSanDiego.org