TO THE MOON AND BACK
DISCOVERY GREEN CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOON LANDING WITH “A GIANT LEAP.”
At Space Center Houston’s all-day event marking the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, a New Year’s Eve-style group countdown to the first historic steps will begin with the number 11, rather than 10.
The family-friendly outdoor event ends with a concert and audience-led countdown that serves as a nod to the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which landed on the moon with the help of Mission Control. Attendees will wear LED wristbands that sync with the live music performances and the countdown to 9:56 p.m., the precise moment of mankind’s giant leap.
And, across Greater Houston, other revelers will count down with them. Thanks to a partnership with Visit Houston, Space Center Houston has distributed a 15-minute video that will play at lunar celebrations across the region, including in Deer Park, Conroe, Baytown, Sugar Land and Galveston. (For details on these screenings, go to visithouston.com)
The 15-minute video features historical clips and cameos by prominent Houstonians and other recognizable figures — the list is a surprise — who speak to Houston’s role in the history-changing event. It ends with the countdown.
“Houston has played such a giant role in human space exploration,” says Richard Glover of Space Center Houston. “We wanted everyone in the community to be able to celebrate this event and be proud of being a very special city that helped moved the entire world forward.”
Other highlights at Space Center Houston’s event includes a golf simulator so families can experience what it would be like to play golf on the moon, the chance to play with robots, celestial photo ops and STEM programming for aspiring astronauts.
And one to glow on
The Woodlands’ Apollo 11 celebration in Waterway Square is one of the celebrations where the NASA video will play. Families are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs for an outdoor screening of “Capture the Flag,” an animated NASA
film about the grandson of a NASA astronaut.
On their way in, guests will receive glow sticks and other swag. They can poke their head through astronaut cut-outs and take photos. Organizers also will distribute space-related educational material.
“We’ve been really proud to have
a lot of visionary people in our community, whether it’s George Mitchell or other kind of forward thinkers,” says Elizabeth Eddins, executive director of Visit The Woodlands. “You never know who you’re going to inspire and if some child there is going to look up in the sky and think of something bigger.”
Another dramatic landing
Nine paratroopers from the U.S. Army Golden Knights will land in the middle of Discovery Green during the park’s “A Giant Leap” event. NASA’s exhibit trailer will be on-site with moon rocks. Lunar vehicles will be parked across the plaza. As a photo op, Rice University has built a replica of the podium at Rice Stadium from which President John F. Kennedy announced plans to travel to the moon in September 1962.
There’s an outdoor screening of the new documentary “Apollo 11” that includes footage that hasn’t been seen since it was filmed 50 years ago, says Susanne Theis of Discovery Green.
There are spacethemed rides, games, stargazing with telescopes and a special greeting via video from astronauts on the International Space Station, all meant to inspire and celebrate “a really amazing memory for Houston,” Theis says.
Under the sun
For families looking for a celebration that doesn’t interfere with bedtime, the Children’s Museum of Houston is hosting a lightsaber-making workshop and a “Star Wars” fan day with character appearances. Throughout the event, the original CBS broadcast documenting Apollo 11’s landing will play in the auditorium, and representatives from the Lunar and Planetary Institute will answer questions about space.
A virtual-reality moonwalking experience and the chance to touch lunar meteorites is part of the interactive Apollo 11 event at Houston’s Lunar and Planetary Institute.
And, in addition to special programming on Saturday around the “Moon” exhibition at the main Houston Museum of Natural Science campus, HMNS is hosting Apollo Day at George Observatory in Needville. Out-of-this-world fun includes a simulated space experience and a screening of “Apollo & Beyond” in the domed planetarium. During the evening portion of the event, experts will lead stargazing sessions with the chance to spot planets.
Of the Houston-wide celebrations on Saturday, Eddins says, “I think there’s something really special about having a collective and connected experience. We’re all looking at the same moon, but we could be anywhere in the world.”