Yuri's Night 2010 : Big Pic Gallery

Every year, the world celebrates Yuri's Night, an event to commemorate two key space exploration events that occurred on April 12: the launch of the first human into space and the first flight of the Space Shuttle. Yuri Gagarin became the first to blast into Earth orbit on April 12, 1961 and Columbia was the first of the shuttle fleet to launch on April 12, 1981.

Through the power of Twitter, @Discovery_Space reached out to the Discovery News community to send in your photographs of parties celebrating Yuri's Night 2010. Here are just a few of the scenes we received. As it turned out, everyone who submitted their entries for this special Big Pic Gallery attended events held at NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Kennedy Space Center or the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

A special thank you to everyone who submitted their pics, as you'll see, Yuri's Night 2010 was a night to remember.

Leading photo location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Photographer: Matthew Reyes (@motorbikematt)
Original Image: Flickr

The Yuri's Night 2010 sign welcoming visitors to the NASA Ames visitors to the Bay Area event, Saturday, April 10, 2010.

Location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Photographer: Matthew Reyes (@motorbikematt)
Original Image: Flickr

If you're going to celebrate human endeavors in space, why not do it under a Saturn V rocket? Yuri's Night getting under way at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center on Saturday, April 10, 2010.

Location: Davidson Center for Space Exploration, U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
Photographer: Marcia Hoppers (@marcia_h)
Original Image: yfrog

Outside NASA Ames, the Raygun Gothic Rocketship (a 50-foot high retro-futurist rocket ship) was on display for Yuri's Night revelers to explore. Stunt planes also put on a show.

Location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Photographer: Matthew Reyes (@motorbikematt)
Original Image: Flickr

At Kennedy Space Center (KSC), another Yuri's Night party was about to start on Saturday, April 10, 2010...

Location: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Photographer: Dennis Bonilla (@harbingeralpha)
Original Image: TwitPic

...and Jen Scheer (a.k.a. @flyingjenny), Space Shuttle Technician and founder of the Space Tweep Society, was there to check in VIP guests at the KSC event.

Location: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Photographer: Dennis Bonilla (@harbingeralpha)
Original Image: TwitPic

Meanwhile, at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), it would appear that Orbital Sciences have started hiring on the planet Naboo!

Location: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Photographer: Emory Stagmer (@VAXHeadroom)
Original Image: TwitPic

As the night continues, some funky astronauts land at NASA Ames.

Location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Photographer: Matthew Reyes (@motorbikematt)
Original Image: Flickr

Everyone's favorite Dark Lord had to be sneaking around somewhere. Here's Darth Vader trying to divert attention from David Waters (a.k.a. @davidgwaters) on the stage at KSC.

Location: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Photographer: Dennis Bonilla (@harbingeralpha)
Original Image: TwitPic

Shuttle astronaut Roger Crouch was at the GSFC event to celebrate Yuri's Night.

Location: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Photographer: Emory Stagmer (@VAXHeadroom)
Original Image: TwitPic

A random astronaut takes some time out from a busy spacewalk schedule to pop into KSC.

Location: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Photographer: Dennis Bonilla (@harbingeralpha)
Original Image: TwitPic

Like any good Yuri's Night event, there must be at least one Stormtrooper. Here's one at KSC from the 501st Legion keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.

Location: NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Photographer: Dennis Bonilla (@harbingeralpha)
Original Image: TwitPic

With the night in full swing at Ames, Yuri's Night erupts with dancefloor lights in this stunning shot.

Location: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Photographer: Matthew Reyes (@motorbikematt)
Original Image: Flickr

All photographs used with permission.