Where to Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

NASA photo

It was 40 years ago this month that man first stepped foot on the Moon, and celebrations around the country are reminding Americans of just how amazing the feat was. For those who need a refresher, the Apollo 11 mission took off from Cape Canaveral at the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, shooting Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin into outer space with the help of the Saturn V rocket. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin had the singular pleasure of traipsing along the rocky lunar surface, while poor Collins orbited above.

Here on Long Island the Cradle of Aviation Museum will present “The Early Days of Apollo…” with Apollo 7 Astronaut Walt Cunningham, Wednesday, July 22nd, 7:30 PM, Admission $10.00/$8.00 for museum members.

The early days of the Apollo space program were some of the most challenging and exciting days at NASA. From the devastating fire on Apollo 1 to the first successful Apollo 7 flight manned by astronauts Walt Cunningham, Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele you’ll hear first hand how early adversity quickly became long lasting success for the Apollo program.

Walt Cunningham is probably best known as America’s second civilian astronaut. In addition to serving as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 7, Walt served as chief of the Skylab branch of the Astronaut office. He became a Marine Corps fighter pilot in 1953 retiring with the rank of Colonel and has accumulated more than 4,500 hours of flying time and 263 hours in space.

Seating is limited and reservations are required. For information and to reserve your seat, please call 516-572-4066.

Around the country…

A helpful item in the Dallas News points out several of the best places to mark the milestone. On Thursday, Buzz Aldrin (Buzz is a cool nickname) will be on hand at the Kennedy Space Center to stand beneath the Saturn V, along with seven other Apollo astronauts who will all share their nail-biting stories about blasting into space. The event with mark the opening of a new exhibit of Apollo memorabilia, including the Apollo 14 command module, Alan Shepard’s space suit, and a list of tips on how to display the American flag on the moon. On July 20, the anniversary of the first moon walk, visitors can chomp on a record-setting 40-inch, 55-pound moon pie, with 14 pounds of marshmallows and six pounds of chocolate. Yum!

At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, meanwhile, visitors can soak up all sorts of space knowledge and even view the famous lectern from which John F. Kennedy announced in 1962 that the United States would go to the moon by the end of the decade. A special Level 9 Tour at the space center takes visitors to several behind-the-scenes nooks, including the astronaut training areas where space cadets sharpen their zero-gravity skills. Located next door, Space Center Houston has museum exhibits, a mock-up of the International Space Station, and the famous Mission Control center.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (one of the city’s coolest museums) is marking the occasion with a collection of photographs, space suits, and dozens of Apollo 11 objects. Whatever you do, do not forget to buy a bag of astronaut ice cream in the gift shop. It’s one of the greatest things to emerge from the space program.