National Air and Space Museum Receives $2 Million for Apollo 50th Celebrations From Boeing

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum has received a $2 million gift from Boeing to sponsor the national Apollo 50th anniversary celebration. Programming began this fall and will span through the anniversary of the first moon landing July 20, with celebrations at the museum and on the National Mall. Boeing's sponsorship will include support of the "Spirit of Apollo" event commemorating Apollo 8 at the National Cathedral, Dec. 11, the five-day celebration to commemorate Apollo 11, July 16-20, 2019, and a myriad of education and community engagement activities from now through the end of 2019.

"Boeing's support enables the museum to lead the national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions," said Ellen Stofan, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum. "Their gift allows us to commemorate the anniversary on the scale worthy of such a monumental achievement."

The museum will host "Spirit of Apollo" at Washington National Cathedral to celebrate Apollo 8 and the spiritual meaning of exploration and global unity in the mission's iconic Christmas Eve broadcast. Scheduled speakers include Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 astronaut; Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church; Ellen Stofan, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum; and Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator. The event will also be streamed via NASA TV and on the Museum's website.

"Boeing and its heritage companies built several of the Apollo spacecraft that took the first humans to the moon, including the legendary Saturn V rocket," said Tim Keating, Boeing executive vice president of government operations. "We're excited to support the national celebration of that historic undertaking, especially as Boeing continues to play a leading role in the next generation of space exploration."

The July 2019 celebration to commemorate Apollo 11 and the first moon landing will include highlights such as Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit going back on display at the museum after 13 years and activities on the National Mall. Details for this event and other Apollo commemorative events happening in 2019 will be announced at a later date.

Information on all of the museum's programs and events can be found on the museum's Apollo website.

Boeing is the largest corporate donor to the National Air and Space Museum, making numerous gifts through the years in excess of $60 million. In 2014, Boeing's largest gift led to the renovation of the "Milestones of Flight" hall, as well as ongoing educational activities and exhibitions.

Museum Announces Additional Apollo Programming Details

The National Air and Space Museum will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing with a five-day celebration at the museum and on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. From July 16, exactly 50 years from the launch of Apollo 11, to July 20, the day Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the first steps on the moon, visitors can take part in celebrating this momentous milestone in history. A variety of educational and commemorative activities will take place throughout the week. Regular updates will be posted to the museum’s website.

The museum will present “Discover the Moon Day!” Friday, July 19, a program of educational and fun family activities where visitors will be able to interact one-on-one with museum scientists to learn about lunar exploration, research and missions. They will see high-resolution images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, view the moon in 3-D and more. They will also be able to start at the lunar module and “retrace” the astronauts’ steps, visiting stations along a route approximately equivalent to the distances the astronauts walked. The stations will be staffed by scientists and historians where visitors will see photos and maps of the area the astronauts traversed on the moon.

On the anniversary of the first steps on the moon, Saturday, July 20, the museum will host programming and educational activities. A celebration will culminate at the exact time (10:56 p.m. ET) the steps were taken that evening, and the public can visit the museum until 2 a.m.

Apollo 50: Go for the Moon

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, featuring a 363-foot Saturn V rocket projected on the east face of the Washington Monument and a special "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" show. This presentation concieved and commissioned by the National Air and Space Museum, and is made possible through a partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and 59 Productions.

On July 16, 17, and 18 the projection will be live from 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm.

It all builds up to July 19 and 20, when we will present "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon," a 17-minute show that will combine full-motion projection mapping artwork and archival footage to recreate the launch of Apollo 11 and tell the story of the first Moon landing. The show will unfold on the face of the Washington Monument and supporting screens, including a 40-foot-wide recreation of the famous Kennedy Space Center countdown clock.

The free show will run at 9:30 pm, 10:30 pm, and 11:30 pm on Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20.

Experience "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" from viewing areas on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle between 9th and 12th Streets.

A full-sized, 363-foot Saturn V rocket is projected onto the east face of the Washington Monument 50 years to the day after astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin launched on Apollo 11, the first mission to land astronauts on the Moon, Tuesday, July 16, 2019.

On Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, a special 17-minute show, “Apollo 50: Go for the Moon” will combine full-motion projection-mapping artwork on the monument and archival footage to recreate the launch of Apollo 11 and tell the story of the first moon landing.

Watch the Apollo 50 projection mapping launch on the Washington Monument in its entirety.

The 50 year anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission with NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin is celebrated in a 17-minute show, "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" which combined full-motion projection-mapping artwork on the Washington Monument and archival footage to recreate the launch of Apollo 11 and tell the story of the first moon landing, Friday, July 19, 2019 in Washington.

Over 500,000 people joined us on the National Mall this July for the Apollo 50: Go For the Moon projection show on the Washington Monument. You can now relive this once-in-a-lifetime celebration in full. Go for the Moon captures the excitement of the first Moon landing and tells the story of the iconic Apollo 11 mission from launch to landing and beyond.

"Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" was commissioned by the National Air and Space Museum and produced by 59 Productions. The Museum's Apollo 50 programming was made possible by the support of Boeing with additional support from Raytheon.