Last night was Yuri Gagarin night, celebrated by hundreds of parties all over the world which commemorated the first manned space flight by the legendary Russian cosmonaut. On 12 April 1961, Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. April 12 also marked the anniversary of the shuttle Columbia's first flight in 1981.

His legacy was also celebrated at the NASA Ames Research Center in the Bay Area. NASA Ames director Pete Worden, a former University of Arizona astronomy professor and brigadier general, donned a Soviet-era general's uniform for the event.

"This is an opportunity to reflect on the past, such as the first humans in space, such as Yuri Gagarin in 1961. Our first Space Shuttle flight in 1981. And to the future, where the future means expanding into the solar system," said Worden in an exclusive interview with CNET.

Other NASA facilities across the country, such as the Johnson Center in Texas and Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland have also joined in on the fun this year. SpaceRef.com reports that when there were 3 days still left before the big event, Yuri's Night 2008 registered 173 events in some 49 countries.

"Yuri's Night is about enabling everyone on the planet connect with space," said Loretta Whitesides, Yuri's Night Co-founder, in a statement. "It is exciting to see so many new people join the movement this year to celebrate our space future."

On 27 March 1968, Yuri Gagarin and his instructor died in a MiG-15UTI on a routine training flight near Kirzhach. Gagarin was preparing to requalify as a fighter pilot. It's still unclear what caused the crash.