Events commemorate 55th anniversary of moon landing

Allen Cone
·3 min read
Astronaut and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin is pictured during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on the moon on July 20, 1969. Photo courtesy NASA
Astronaut and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin is pictured during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on the moon on July 20, 1969. Photo courtesy NASA
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July 20 (UPI) -- Amid a full moon from San Diego to Houston to Florida to Washington, D.C., activities on Saturday will mark the 55th anniversary of the first lunar landing and men to walk on the moon.

NASA's two main visitor centers, the Johnson Space Center near Houston and the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, have activities scheduled.

A gala also will take place Saturday night at San Diego Air and Space Museum with Buzz Aldrin, 94, the last surviving member of the three-man Apollo 11 crew, He'll be joined by astronaut Charlie Duke, who was the voice inside Mission Control for the July 20, 1969, moon landing.

Hours later Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, then Aldrin followed him as Michael Collins flew in the Command Module circling the moon.

Activities have been scheduled all week at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is near the launch of the spacecraft on July 16, 1969. The spacecraft returned to Earth on July 24 in the Pacific Ocean.

A moon landing mural of the Apollo 11 moon landing is seen at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 2019. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
A moon landing mural of the Apollo 11 moon landing is seen at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. on July 16, 2019. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

"Don't miss this opportunity to learn about humanity's ongoing journey of space exploration," the complex's website says. " Whether you recall the moment Apollo 11 touched the lunar surface, or you could be the first astronaut to visit Mars, Moon Fest Weekend promises to be an unforgettable experience for all ages."

One Giant Leap short film runs on the top of the hour.

A close-up view of astronaut Buzz Aldrin's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with the 70mm lunar surface camera during Apollo 11's sojourn on the moon on July 20, 1969. Photo courtesy NASA
A close-up view of astronaut Buzz Aldrin's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with the 70mm lunar surface camera during Apollo 11's sojourn on the moon on July 20, 1969. Photo courtesy NASA

A replica of the Atlas V rocket sits on its side as part of the tour of the space center.

The space center also looks ahead to the next mission to the moon: Artemis. The complex includes the Space Shuttle Atlantis with family-friendly activities scheduled there this weekend.

The Apollo 11 Saturn V lifts off with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A. Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 50 years ago this month on July 20, 1969. NASA/UPI
The Apollo 11 Saturn V lifts off with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A. Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 50 years ago this month on July 20, 1969. NASA/UPI

At the Johnson Space Center in Texas, a special presentation will culminate in a reconstruction of the memorable moon landing.

A panel discussion will explain "what it was like to be in Mission Control for the iconic Apollo 11 Mission that landed the first humans on the moon," according to the center.

Tours are conducted at the Historic Mission Control from which NASA led Gemini and Apollo missions.

On Friday, the center inaugurated the Dorothy Vaughan Center in Honor of the Women of Apollo, honoring the significant contributions and breaking of racial barriers by the late mathematician and NASA's first Black manager.

The National Air and Space Center in Washington, D.C., includes tours. The charred Apollo 11 craft is housed there.