“THE EAGLE HAS LANDED:” 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC APOLLO 11 LAUNCH TO THE MOON
Apollo 11 Astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins
– The world watched Aldrin and Armstrong walk on the moon; Three men gave the world a priceless gift.
LIVE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY WITH ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN
Buzz Aldrin on the Moon - July 1969 - NASA
WHO: Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot of the historic Apollo 11 crew. On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and became the first manned spacecraft to perform a lunar landing. The lunar module, Eagle, landed on the moon July 20, 1969 with less than 30 seconds of fuel left. Upon landing the crew announced: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!" Col. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first two people to set foot on the surface of the moon.
WHAT: A live interview opportunity is available on July 16 with Buzz Aldrin to mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 from Kennedy Space Center. Also on July 16, an elite group of astronaut guests will celebrate the Apollo program during a public ceremony at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center. The astronauts will share their personal stories with guests. A new exhibit, the Apollo Treasures Gallery, showcasing treasures from the Apollo moon missions will also open that day.
WHEN: Live interviews from the Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Thursday, July 16 from 6:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. EST.
BOOKING: To book an interview, contact Ms. Monte Martin at 407-964-1557, mmonte@hotmail.com or Ms. Rhonda Murphy at 407-435-6093, rmurphy56@cfl.rr.com.
Col. Buzz Aldrin's Bio and Apollo 11 Briefing
Bio: Buzz Aldrin attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating third in his class with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He then joined the U.S. Air Force where he flew 66 combat missions in Korea and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Selected by NASA in 1963, Aldrin was the first astronaut with a doctorate degree. He devised space docking and rendezvous techniques which were critical to the success of the Gemini and Apollo programs and are still used today.
On July 16, 1969, the intrepid crew of three men, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, launched aboard the massive Saturn V rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carried the hopes and dreams of mankind with them. The Apollo program changed the way we looked at ourselves – as travelers beyond Earth.
Aldrin and Armstrong made their historic moon walk becoming the first two people to set foot on another world. They spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and returned with 46 pounds of moon rocks. An estimated 600 million people - the world's largest television audience in history at the time - witnessed this unprecedented event.
Apollo 11 achieved its primary mission - to perform a manned lunar landing and return the mission safely to Earth. It paved the way for the Apollo lunar landing missions to follow. The mission also fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s. In a 1961 speech, Kennedy stated: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."
BRIEFING: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the launching point of all Apollo missions, will mark the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo program with an all-day celebration. Former astronauts will spend the morning sharing memories and stories of their incredible journeys with guests.
Later in the day, the Visitor Complex will also mark the opening of a new exhibit, the Apollo Treasures Gallery, at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, showcasing treasures from the Apollo moon missions.
Rarely seen publicly before, the Apollo artifacts in the new Apollo Treasures Gallery will include a rare collection of space suits and other gear used by the Apollo moonwalkers to explore the lunar surface during space walks, featuring Apollo 14 Commander Alan Shepard’s space suit and the Apollo 14 “Kitty Hawk” Command Module. Alan Shepherd’s corvette will also be on display. Complimenting the suits is a collection of shoes, helmets and gloves, plus tools used to excavate the lunar surface, Apollo 16 astronaut John Young’s cuff check list with instructions on how to deploy the American flag on the moon and Apollo 13’s space suit repair kit and service module rescue book.
For more information, visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/.
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