Yuri's Night is a worldwide celebration of humanity's achievements in space! Held on or about April 12th, it marks the anniversary of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space in 1961, and twenty years later the first launch of the US Space Shuttle in 1981.

Human Spaceflight became a reality 45 years ago with the launch of a bell-shaped capsule called Vostok 1. The capsule was carrying Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who took his place in history as the first human to leave the bounds of Earth and enter outer space.

Exactly 20 years later, the United States embarked on a new era in spaceflight with the inaugural launch of a new type of spaceship the Space Shuttle. Designed to carry a larger crew and large volumes of cargo to orbit, the Space Shuttles became synonymous with human spaceflight for an entirely new generation of young people.

When the next 20-year point arrived, that generation (often called Gen X) laid a new space milestone by connecting thousands of people around the world to celebrate and honor the past, while building a stairway to the future. That event was Yuris Night, and it continues to bring the excitement, passion and promise of space travel closer to people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. For more information about Yuri's Night, please visit Yuri's Night Global.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010 Huntsville will experience a premier Yuri's Night event at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. The night will begin with a VIP "Permission to Dream Big" Reception and continue with a World Space Party.

The event will be hosted by CAJA Friends, Inc. CAJA (Court Appointed Juvenile Advocate) volunteers work to better the lives of abused, neglected and abandoned children, so they can grow up shooting for the stars, just like all other children. All kids deserve enough security in their lives to feel they can dream big. Space exploration has always been one of humanity's biggest dreams. So it is fitting that CAJA Friends, Inc will host this celebration of Space Exploration to benefit the local CAJA Friends, Inc program.

In addition to the festivities the night of April 10th, CAJA and the Huntsville Alabama L5 Society (HAL5) will coordinate a targeted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineeering, and Mathematics) educational opportunitys in the week leading up to April 12th. The focus will be on inspiring a new generation to study the sciences and dream big.