Museum celebrates 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing

The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing with the opening of a commemorative exhibition called Apollo Redux June 22 at 9 a.m.

Apollo Redux shares the story of the unsung men and women of NASA Mission Control who were part of the historic achievement that stunned the world 50 years ago. The informative presentation revisits the past to reveal the science of the Apollo era in which men and women worked night and day to make the dream of space exploration a reality.

“Apollo Redux gives the public an insider’s view of what it was like in the days depicted in the popular movie “Hidden Figures.” In those early days of space travel, important calculations were made by mathematicians and engineers without the advanced computer technology available today,” said Dawn Kirchner, vice president of Education at the Boonshoft Museum.

The museum’s 50th anniversary festivities began with the free-admission Super Science Saturday Moon Mission on May 18 but will last throughout the year when it will be followed by the Apollo Redux exhibit June 22. The past, present and future of space exploration are all considered in this look at the development of our ongoing quest for the stars.

Visitors can take a seat at the Mission Control console and have an authentic experience viewing video information on the surrounding graphic panels.

All of these events lead up to the actual 50th anniversary of the lunar landing July 20 at 10:30 a.m. with a day of programs from rocket demonstrations to gravity experiments. Guests will discover how different materials react in space, construct their own mini rockets, learn about orbiting objects, build a shock- absorbing spacecraft, and even discover first-hand how craters are created on the moon.

Visit www.BoonshoftMuseum.org for more information.

About the Author