Download as a PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Ben Corbin
benacor@yurisnight.net
850) 685-2218

Space Beach Party brings a spaceflight celebration to Central Florida

The Florida Space Coast chapter of the National Space Society (NSS) and the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) at the University of Central Florida are teaming up to host a Space Beach Party at the Cocoa Beach Pier on Saturday, April 12th from 2:00pm to 11:00pm. The event is part of a worldwide annual celebration of the anniversary of manned spaceflight and is the only party registered in Florida Central Florida.

Daytime events out on the beach will include a beach volleyball tournament, a moonbase/sandcastle building competition, and “Astronaut training” beach games for all ages. Nighttime events at the pier will include a VIP reception with live music, drink specials, guest speakers, and a cosmic volleyball tournament. A suborbital flight simulator will also be available all day, free of charge courtesy of Space Florida.

“It’s really going to be a blast,” says Chris Reeves, Yuri’s Night Cocoa Beach event organizer. “This will be a great way to spend an afternoon at the beach having fun. Everyone in Central Florida is invited to the Space Beach Party!”

On April 12th 1961, Russian Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to leave Earth’s atmosphere and see our planet from space. Exactly twenty years later, the first Space Shuttle was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. Technologies developed in the space race and stories of courage have revolutionized our entire world, including transportation, materials science, political climate, and pop culture.

Since 2001, people across the globe have been celebrating April 12th as a great day for all mankind with hundreds of parties on all seven continents. This is Yuri’s Night, the World Space Party! There are already over 100 150 events registered on all 7 continents for 2008, though only one in Florida Central Florida.

“This event is a celebration of human achievement and the spirit of exploration,” says Ben Corbin, president of SEDS at UCF. “During his flight, Yuri saw a fragile world with no borders that we must work together to protect. That is the vision we celebrate on Yuri’s Night.”

Yuri’s Night 2008 Cocoa Beach sponsors currently include Space Florida, United Space Alliance, ITT Corporation, and AIG.

For more information, including news, schedule of events, and how to become a sponsor, please visit www.SpaceBeachParty.com

About NSS

The Florida Space Coast chapter of the National Space Society (NSS) is the most active chapter of NSS in the nation. Established in 2004, the Florida Space Coast chapter meets monthly in Brevard County. Its members include space industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts. For more information about NSS or to join, visit www.nssflorida.org.

About SEDS

The Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is a world-wide network of independent chapters focused on education, outreach, and technical projects involving space. The UCF chapter of SEDS was named Chapter of the Year at the 2007 national conference. For more information about SEDS, visit www.seds.org and check out the UCF chapter at http://mmae.ucf.edu/seds.

# # #