NASA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Historic Moon Landing

Posted 18th Jul 2019

On July 16, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a journey to the Moon and into history. Four days later, while Collins orbited the Moon in the command module, Armstrong and Aldrin landed Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle, on the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility, becoming the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface.

Highlights of events in which NASA is participating include:

July 19 – Dedication of U.S. Postal Service’s 1969 Moon Landing Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and humanity’s first steps on the Moon with two Forever stamps. It will dedicate the stamps in a ceremony at 11 a.m. EDT at the Apollo/Saturn V Center of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The ceremony is open to the public with paid admission. For more information, visit: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2019/0610ma-first-moon-landing-stamps.htm

July 19 – NASA’s Giant Leaps: Past and Future

On July 19, NASA’s Giant Leaps: Past and Future will air 1 to 3 p.m. EDT on NASA TV and the agency’s website, and will be simulcast on the Discovery Science Channel. Hosted from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center, the show will salute the heroes of Apollo and discuss the agency’s future plans, with segments at:

  • The National Mall in Washington
  • NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, including the newly restored Apollo Mission Control Operations Room and Space Center Houston, Johnson’s official visitors center
  • The U.S. Space & Rocket Center near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama
  • Neil Armstrong’s hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio
  • The Apollo 11 command module on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle

The show also will feature slices of Americana at other anniversary celebrations around the country.

At 3 p.m EDT., NASA TV will air a special program, STEM Forward to the Moon, which will feature kids participating in Moon landing simulations at four partner museums across the USA:

NASA also will bring Apollo 50th anniversary participants together to take part in a virtual engineering design challenge on social media. Along with each of its museum partners, NASA invites the public to help build a component of NASA’s return to the Moon using simple household materials. For more information, visit: https://spacestem.nasa.gov/

July 19 – NASA at Nasdaq Closing Bell

NASA’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit and astronaut Jeanette Epps will represent the agency during the Nasdaq Stock Market closing bell ceremony in New York City.

Ongoing – Restored Apollo Mission Control Center

In celebration of the golden anniversary of the first landing, the Apollo Mission Control Center at Johnson has been restored to appear as it did in that era, ready to begin its new life as a source of learning and inspiration. Visitors to NASA can experience the restored control room as part of regular tours provided by Space Center Houston.

July 19 to 21 – Summer Moon Festival in Wapakoneta, Ohio

NASA and the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, built to honor Wapakoneta’s own Neil Armstrong and other Ohioans in space exploration, will mark the anniversary with festivities including a 5k and 10k Run to the Moon with NASA astronauts, space inflatables, interactive STEM activities, rocket launches, and more. Activities on the museum grounds run July 19 to 21 and coincide with the 10-day, city-wide Summer Moon Festival, which includes a family-oriented street fair July 17-20 in downtown Wapakoneta. For more information, visit: https://armstrongmuseum.org

July 20: National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Pops presents Apollo 11: A Fiftieth Anniversary

NASA is collaborating with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and the National Symphony on a musical and visual tribute to the 1969 Moon landing. The concert, which begins at 9 p.m. EDT, will be hosted by Meredith Vieira and Adam Savage and feature appearances by singer-songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams, singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield, composer Michael Giacchino, actor LeVar Burton, and more. For more information, visit: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/NTPPH

July 20: NASA Night at Discovery Green

From 6 to 10 p.m. CDT, Downtown Houston’s Discovery Green will host a free public screening of the movie Apollo 11. The U.S. Army Golden Knights jumpers will land before the screening, in addition to a special appearance from Spacey Casey. The event will feature an appearance by NASA astronaut Steve Bowen. Find more information at: https://www.discoverygreen.com/moonlanding

 

For more information about NASA’s Apollo 11 mission and a list of other events taking place across the country, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/apollo50th/

(Source: NASA Media)

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