How nerdster-chic is this: a global convergence of the exploration of space exploration, ecological savvy, technological innovation, and musical-motional performance, in honor of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin launching the first-ever human flight into space? Described as “Cinco de Mayo” for space, Yuri’s Night is a 35-nation cosmorave. It was big last year. It’s going to be much bigger this year.

What’s all this space stuff got to do with music and motion? Everything: music and visual performance are a big part of this party, as Sun Ra-loving, space-inspired, Space Age technologist artists push creative tech. (Amon Tobin is headlining, Will Wright is keynote speaker.) Winter Music what? I want my space fiesta.

Attention, Cosmonauts

CDM is involved, and you can be, too, wherever you are in the world:

NASA's Cassini spacecraft was bomboarded with dust particles
that make up Saturn's rings, and the sound against its high-gain
antenna are included in a new video file. Meanwhile, as the ESA's Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument makes its descent to Titan, acoustic sensors pick up audio data posted by ESA as MP3s.

Load up your iPod and enjoy digital sound from space, while we wait for
NASA to try again on the Mars microphone idea. And by the way, the
government agencies' audio is typically public domain, so I expect to
hear your remixes soon. Via our friend Gina Robair of Electronic
Musician (check out their free email lists).