posted 09-24-2018 04:11 PM               

50 Years of Apollo: A Golden Celebration of Man's Conquest of the Moon

USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum Launches Ten Month Celebration

Fifty years ago next month, the United States space program, much like the mythical Phoenix, experienced a rebirth from the ashes that few, at that time, thought was possible. After a 20-month stand-down following the January 27, 1967 Apollo 1 fire that took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chafee and Ed White, Apollo 7 launched America back into space on October 11, 1968. The eleven-day mission was the United States' first manned mission since Gemini XII was launched and recovered in November 1966.

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo program and the USS Hornet's unique role as the recovery ship for both Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 – the first two manned missions to the moon – the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum will be celebrating all of the Apollo missions leading up to the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 and the recovery of the crew and capsule by the Hornet on July 24, 1969.

"The USS Hornet and her crew will forever be tied to man's conquest of the moon," said CAPT Michael C. McCarron, USN (ret.), Executive Director of the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum. "As the recovery ship for both Apollo 11 and Apollo 12, the Hornet played a critical role in NASA's mission to the moon. The footprints of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are forever memorialized on the Hornet's hangar deck."

To mark the launch on Apollo 7, on October 13, 2018, the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum will be hosting a special STEM Night Ops Overnight titled Crash(less) Landings. Join us on this special evening in honor of the first mission in the United States' Apollo program to carry a crew into space. This special overnight program will feature hands-on STEM activities related to the Apollo engineers.

On December 21, 2018, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8 and man's first orbit around the moon, the Museum will be hosting an Open House evening with special themed tours: The History of Space Aviation and Exploration. There will also be opportunities to view the winter night sky in the company of guest astronomers and astronomy clubs from around the Bay Area.

In March 2019, the Museum will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 9 with a special Model Showcase. Hobbyists ranging from expert to amateur to school age youth are encouraged and welcome to showcase their space themed models.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 10 in May 2019, the Hornet will be hosting an evening titled Apollo 10 and Pop Culture. In partnership with the Charles Schulz Museum and Research Center, the Museum will host a panel and guest speakers to discuss space travel in popular culture.

All of these events are in preparation of the Museum's nine-day celebration, called "Splashdown 50," in July 2019 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 and the Hornet's recovery of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. During the week prior to Splashdown, the Museum will hold an 8-day long event in honor of Apollo 11's 8-day mission, building up July 24th, Splashdown Day where USS Hornet recovered the Apollo 11 astronauts.

For more information on these and other events as well as volunteering opportunities, admission prices, and our museum's Splashdown Exhibit, please visit the USS Hornet Museum's website.