"What Yuri did at that time was state-of-the-art technology, was the absolute cutting-edge," Cooper said on Sunday during the Yuri’s Night celebration in Colorado Springs.
"Yuri's flight was more than - if there's a measure beyond earth-shattering, it's that; when one person takes that first step into the unknown, it takes tremendous courage, it takes tremendous talent. Every person that has gone after Yuri has followed those steps."
Cooper stressed that amid so many things happening in space right now, they are committed to sharing the history with people of all ages.
"We are seeing more and more young people recognizing, ‘I may be able to do something like that [Gagarin’s flight],'" he noted. "But every story has a beginning. It's great to be able to tell the story about what Yuri did."
Cooper went on to say that today more and more people are taking those steps, but underscored that Gagarin was the first.
"He's not the last, there are new generations of Yuris that are happening around the world for countries. There are more countries that are entering that pipeline, but any time they're all following Yuri," he added.
The Space Foundation’s Yuri’s Night is part of the global celebration, held on April 12, to honor the first manned spaceflight and the first space shuttle flight. Yuri's Night serves as a platform to promote science education, teacher development, family engagement, and personal exploration of space-related interests. This year’s Yuri Night has brought the largest number of guests ever to come together to celebrate the first human space flight.
The guests took part in Sphero Racing and a silent auction. Five astronauts, including Frank Culbertson, Ron Sega, Kathryn Thornton, Duane Carey, and Livingston Holder were taking pictures with attendees and signing their photos. The event’s participants were also enjoying the company of the characters of the Star Wars movies. The guests could also indulge in history slides and enjoy the live music played by Spinphony.