Florida - Monday July 15, 2024: NASA this week is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the first astronauts landing on the Moon through a variety of in-person, virtual, and engagement activities nationwide.
Various commemorative events will be taking place today, Monday July 15, through Thursday July 25. These events will honor America’s vision and technology that enabled the Apollo 11 crewed lunar landing on July 20, 1969.
The celebrations are also meant to honor Apollo-era inventions and techniques that spread into public life, many of which are still in use today.
During this week, the agency also will share the iconic bootprint image and the significance of Apollo 11 to NASA’s mission, as well as use the #Apollo11 hashtag, across its digital platforms online.
The celebration comes at a time when the agency is exploring more of the Moon than ever before under the Artemis campaign. NASA will highlight the Artemis campaign, which proposes to land the first woman, the first person of color, and the first international astronaut on the Moon, inspiring great achievements, exploration, and scientific discovery for the benefit of all.
Additional activities from NASA include:
- Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16, NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana: NASA will host the rollout of the agency’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) core stage.
- Friday, July 19, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston: In a dedication and ribbon cutting, the center will name its building 12 the ‘Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo.’ Vaughan was a mathematician, computer programmer, and NASA’s first Black manager.
- Sunday, July 21, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland: NASA Goddard will host a model rocket contest conducted by the National Association of Rocketry Headquarters Astro Modeling Section. This free contest is open to all model rocketeers and the public.
- Tuesday, July 16 through Wednesday, July 24, Space Center Houston: The center will host pop-up science labs, mission briefings, special tram tours that feature the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson, and more.
- Friday, July 19 through Saturday, July 20, National Cathedral in Washington: The cathedral will host a festival marking the 50th anniversary of its Space Window, which contains a piece of lunar rock that was donated by NASA and the crew of Apollo 11.
- Thursday, July 25, San Diego Comic-Con: NASA representatives will participate in a panel entitled ‘Exploring the Moon: the Artemis Generation.’ Panelists are:
- Stan Love, NASA astronaut
- A.C. Charania, NASA chief technologist
- Dionne Hernandez-Lugo, NASA’s Gateway Program
- Jackelynne Silva-Martinez, NASA Human Health and Performance
For more details about NASA’s Apollo Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/the-apollo-program.