Yuri's Night Austin

04/13/2026

A Hug of Gratitude.
II Astronaut Christina Koch () gives the Orion Intergrity a hug following the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean bringing their mission together around the moon and back to an end.
📸 NASA

04/12/2026

Today we have 65 years of human spaceflight! Congratulations to NASA Artemis on a historic return to crewed lunar exploration!

Yuri Gagarin - April 12, 1961
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin

03/09/2026

Today we celebrate the birthday of Yuri Gagarin, who was born on March 9, 1934.

On April 12, 1961, he made history aboard Vostok 1 when he became the first human to travel into space and orbit Earth. His mission lasted 108 minutes and forever changed the course of human exploration.

Gagarin’s courage proved that humanity could leave Earth and begin exploring the cosmos. His journey opened the door to the era of human spaceflight and continues to inspire generations of explorers, scientists, engineers, and dreamers around the world.

As we remember his birthday, we also look ahead to the 25th anniversary of Yuri’s Night, a worldwide celebration of space exploration that brings together science, culture, and community in honor of the moment humanity first reached beyond Earth.

Today we honor the life and legacy of the man whose historic flight showed the world that the path to the stars was possible. 🚀✨

08/08/2025

RIP Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13.

08/01/2025

A rising tide lifts all boats

We F***ing Did It.
Australia is no longer a space industry virgin.

Sure, she only lasted 14 seconds but by god, she lifted off.
The Eris rocket is officially the first Aussie-made, Aussie-launched orbital rocket to leave home soil. Congrats to our good friends at Gilmour Space Technologies.

Did it reach orbit? Nah.
Did it fly straight? Not quite.
But did it take off in true Aussie fashion, tip sideways, and go down swinging?

Bloody oath it did 💪🏼

It’s not a failure. It’s a rite of passage.
Like your first time reversing a trailer, you’re not supposed to nail it first go.

Eris-1 had one job:
Get off the pad ✅
Show the world we’re havin’ a crack ✅
Prove we can burn a few million dollars in under 20 seconds ✅✅✅

Australia’s in the space race, mate.
No turning back now.

To everyone who said Australia couldn't do it...
Suck my a** forever.

- Kathy from HR and Australia🛰️🇦🇺💥

02/12/2025

about a cosmonaut

"The Return” is a drawn animated film created by director Vladimir Tarasov at the Soyuzmultfilm studio in 1980. The film's consultant is cosmonaut Alexei Leo...

04/12/2024

April 12, 1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space.
April 12, 1981: Maiden voyage of Space Shuttle Columbia.
April 12, 2024: Celebrate Yuri’s Night however you wish!

ATX Friends of Yuri G are no longer actively planning Yuri’s Night celebrations. We are music-loving space nerds in a city that is now populated with scores of professional event planners and marketing specialists running big-budget events every week. We had our run, and we apppreciate all the attendees and musicians that helped us make the memories.

Poyekhali!

04/13/2023

In celebration of April 12, 1961

Yuri Gagarin, the world's first cosmonaut, 1963.

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (March 9, 1934 - March 27, 1968), Hero of the Soviet Union, was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first human in space and the first human to orbit the Earth.
--
Pavel Barashev
©RIA Novosti
A116173

04/12/2023

April 12, 1981

The first spaceflight of the Space Shuttle program 🚀

in 1981, 20 years to the day after Gagarin's first human space flight, Space Shuttle Columbia roared into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center for the first time. On board was a crew of two: John Young and Robert Crippen.

More photos and history from STS-1: https://go.nasa.gov/3UtPli7

10/13/2022

Another one of Central Texas’ “best-kept secrets,” Firefly Aerospace, is breaking new ground when it comes to space transportation. Earlier this month, the company broke a new rec…

09/19/2022

China announced their intent to do this over 10 years ago, and now they’ve done it.

The new mineral is of immense interest to lunar geologists. The helium-3 that it contains has the potential to change the world.