Department of State

Apollo 50 Festival Begins on National Mall to Celebrate Moon Landing Anniversary

By Maggie More • •

Neil Armstrong’s original space suit may be out-of-this-world, but the job of sewing it fell into the hands of ordinary seamstresses. News4’s Cory Smith has the story.

Festivities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing began Tuesday, but Thursday marks the kickoff of a three-day festival on the National Mall.

The Apollo 50 Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with late-night events on Saturday. You'll find hands-on exhibits and activities, costumed characters and performances. Tents by NASA, Boeing, Raytheon, the LEGO group and "Ready, Jet, Go!" will line the Mall between 4th and 7th streets.

Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images
An image of a Saturn V rocket, which was used during Apollo 11 moon landing mission, is projected on the Washington Monument to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP Getty Images
An image of a Saturn V rocket, which was used during Apollo 11 moon landing mission, is projected on the Washington Monument to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP Getty Images
An image of a Saturn V rocket, which was used during Apollo 11 moon landing mission, is projected on the Washington Monument to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP Getty Images
An image of a Saturn V rocket, which was used during Apollo 11 moon landing mission, is projected on the Washington Monument to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Tomas Mladenov is illuminated by his phone as a Saturn V rocket image is projected on the east side of the Washington Monument to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, as seen in the early morning of Tuesday, July 16, 2019.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The image of a Saturn V, the rocket that sent Apollo 11 into orbit on July 16, 1969, is projected on the Washington Monument.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The image of a Saturn V, the rocket that sent Apollo 11 into orbit on July 16, 1969, is projected on the Washington monument on July 16, 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to land the first man on the moon.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The image of a Saturn V, the rocket that sent Apollo 11 into orbit on July 16, 1969, is projected on the Washington monument on July 16, 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to land the first man on the moon.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The image of a Saturn V, the rocket that sent Apollo 11 into orbit on July 16, 1969, is projected on the Washington monument on July 16, 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to land the first man on the moon.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The image of a Saturn V, the rocket that sent Apollo 11 into orbit on July 16, 1969, is projected on the Washington monument on July 16, 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to land the first man on the moon.
Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
The image of a Saturn V, the rocket that sent Apollo 11 into orbit on July 16, 1969, is projected on the Washington Monument on Tuesday, July 16, 2019.
Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images
An image of a Saturn V rocket, which was used during Apollo 11 moon landing mission, is projected on the Washington Monument, July 16, 2019. The projection is to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
People watch as an image of the 363-foot Saturn V rocket is projected onto the Washington Monument in honor of the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 11 moon mission, on July 16, 2019.

Speakers at the event include MythBusters' Adam Savage, astronauts from the International Space Station, NASA scientists and engineers and more.

Also Thursday, there will be a museum program called "One Giant Leap: Space Diplomacy Past, Present, Future" will feature a panel with Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins; Ellen Stofan, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum; and U.S. Science Envoy for Space Charles Bolden. The event is free but you'll need tickets.

Friday will be another family-geared day, with activities on the Mall again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a "Discover the Moon" program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The program will include educational activities allowing visitors to interact one-on-one with museum scientists and learn about lunar exploration, research and missions. High-resolution images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will be on display as well.

The program also will allow visitors to start near the lunar module in the Milestones of Flight Hall and "retrace" the route the astronauts walked on the moon.

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Finally, on Saturday, the museum will host a free late-night celebration from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. called "The Eagle Has Landed." The program includes astronaut costume designing, trivia, scavenger hunts, science demonstrations, stargazing at the observatory and more.

There will be a countdown at 10:56 p.m. to the exact time Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon.

Saturn V Rocket Projected onto Washington Monument

Also a part of the official five-day festival is the museum's projection of a Saturn V rocket on the side of the Washington Monument, which began Tuesday and is happening nightly through Saturday. 

Visitors who go on the Friday or Saturday will get the chance to see the "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" show, which will use projection and archival footage to recreate the actual rocket launch.

Armstrong's Spacesuit on Display

On Tuesday, the Smithsonian put Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit on display for the first time in 13 years. A Kickstarter campaign in 2015 garnered thousands of donations to conserve the suit, which is displayed in a state-of-the-art case designed to protect it, according to a news release from the Smithsonian.

The suit is near the 1903 Wright Flyer in the Air and Space Museum until the "Destination Moon" exhibit is completed in 2022.

This article tagged under:

Department of StateiPhoneNational MallGeorge Washington University (GW, GWU)International Space Station
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