Pima Air & Space Museum may have battled with the weather, but offered top notch celebration to commemorate the 50^th Year of Space Exploration at Yuri’s Night, as well as the 30^th Anniversary of US Space Shuttle Mission. It was a day long family-oriented activities to get first hand knowledge on space, science, and astronomy.  

“Yuri," an abstract artwork painted with gold enhanced the 50^th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin, the first human, who blasted into outer space on a Vostok 1 ballistic missile.  Hard to believe, but that was a half-century ago. 

Space Exploration Past, Present, & Future and Yuri’s Night offered a chance to meet VIP Speakers including Astronaut James McDivitt (Brig. Gen., USAF RET),  Sy Liebergot, EECOM Flight Controller for Apollo 13, Professer Peter Smith, Lead Investigator for the Phoenix Mars Lander Mission, and Grant Anderson, Vice President for Paragon Space Development Corporation.  

Michelle Rouch & Dr. Peter Smith next to artwork titled, "Phoenix Mars Mission"

“If Life is found on Mars, does that mean we are related? I think we’re all family in this solar system.”   - Dr. Peter Smith 

“The wonderful thing about ‘Doing’ is that it enhances the ability to do more!” 
- Grant Anderson  

Sy Liebergot & Mina Stafford

“I think we’re had an instrumentation problem Flight.”  - Sy Liebergot

Michelle Rouch personalized an artistic note to STS-134 with “From Tucson, with Love” to crew members NASA astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Gregory H. Johnson, pilot; Michael Flincke, Greg Chamitoff, AndrewFeustel, and Europen Space Agency’s Roberto Vittori, all mission specialists. 

Thanks to Mina Stafford, Director of Volunteer and Education for organizing this wonderful event.