Original story 04.11.07:

Every year on April 12, an international celebration commemorates the anniversary of mankind's very first entry into space. And this year, George Takei and science fiction legend Ray Bradbury will be part of the local festivities taking place at Griffith Observatory in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.

The global annual party is called "Yuri's Night." In 1961 Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to escape Earth's gravity and achieve orbit, in a 108-minute flight. April 12 is also the date in 1981 when NASA launched its first Space Shuttle, Columbia.

This year, 119 parties are scheduled in 32 countries on six continents (Antarctica seems to be excluded). To find one near you, visit www.YurisNight.net and click on "Find a party" in the upper right corner.

The L.A. celebration at the newly renovated Griffith Observatory will begin at 7:00 p.m. Attendance is free of charge, but seating is limited, and shuttle transportation to the observatory costs $8 for adults, $4 for children. Reservations are required — visit www.GriffithObservatory.org right away to make those reservations.

Takei, of course, played "Hikaru Sulu" in the original Star Trek and several incarnations since, and he is presently a recurring player on Heroes. Takei will also perform on the new improv comedy show Thank God You're Here next Wednesday, April 18 — two days before his birthday.

Bradbury is intimately tied to Star Trek through his friendship with the late Gene Roddenberry (he spoke at his memorial service in 1991), and having once been christened by Nichelle Nichols as an "honorary Enterprise crewman." He had a ship named after him in "Ménage à Troi" (the U.S.S. Bradbury), and he was mentioned by name in "Far Beyond the Stars."

The press release about the L.A. party, which was issued today, did not specify how Takei and Bradbury would celebrate Yuri's Night or what the 7:00 gathering will entail. However, it does say that the celebration will actually commence at noon when the Observatory opens, with a "Traveling Space Museum" featured on the lawn, along with other displays by space exhibitors and a local high school robotics team. The article is found at the top of the news list on the Yuri's Night website.

Gagarin, who has a crater on the Moon named after him, died in 1968 in the crash of a plane he was test-piloting. The planet Gagarin IV in "Unnatural Selection" also was named after him.

The Space Shuttle Columbia also died tragically, along with seven astronauts, in 2003. Star Trek: Enterprise honored the lost shuttle by naming the NX-02 starship after it. Conversely, the first space shuttle — which was used as a test vehicle and never launched into space — was named Enterprise as a result of a letter-writing campaign from Star Trek fans.

The new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater was dedicated last November when Griffith Observatory re-opened after five years of extensive renovation and expansion.