A Monumental 50th

Smithsonian Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Moon Landing, Life-Size Projection Onto Washington Monument Set To Be Part Of Recognition

 About 600 million people watched worldwide as Neil Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” when he became the first man to set foot on the moon July 20, 1969.

Credit: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

It was 50 years ago that astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, began their historic mission to the moon on the Apollo 11 spaceship. And in honor of that historic occasion, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is hosting a five-day celebration to commemorate the event.

The anniversary celebration begins Tuesday, July 16 as the Smithsonian displays the spacesuit of astronaut Neil Armstrong that will be accompanied by digital simulations on the Air and Space Museum’s 16-by-12 foot media wall in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, which will let visitors relive the space mission in real time.

One of the the biggest highlights of the celebration is a life-size projection of the Saturn 5 Rocket onto the Washington Monument. This 363 foot rocket carried humans beyond earth’s orbit and to the moon. The projection will be an easy fit onto the 555-foot Monument structure.

On July 17, the museum will host a screening of the PBS KIDS series “Ready Jet Go!” in its IMAX Theater at 5 p.m. After the screening, there will be live music performances, games, and a meet and greet.

The “Apollo 50 Festival”, held July 18 through the 20 takes place on the National Mall with a celebration on the final night at the Air & Space museum commemorating the exact time human footsteps occurred on the moon.

For more information and schedules see https://airandspace.si.edu/learn/highlighted-topics/apollo/apollo-50

For other events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, visit our calendar.