50th Anniversary Moon Landing Celebrations Set For Lift-Off In LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — This month marks the 50th anniversary of that historic "small step for man, giant leap for mankind," but Angelenos don't have to wait until then to begin celebrating the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
The Griffith Observatory is launching a week of special programs, exhibits, and family activities with a free "Golden Moon Festival" party July 13. Telescopes will be placed on the lawn to allow star-gazers to check out the moon rise.
The rest of the week features special screenings of the Sundance award-winning film, "Apollo 11" and panel discussions.
It's all capped off on July 20 with "To Walk on the Moon: Past, Present, and Future," a day-long series of free talks about Apollo 11 and NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2024.
A more immersive experience is already underway at the Rose Bowl. Billed as a "360 adventure," "Apollo 11" is presented on a "spectacular lunar dome" with 40,000 square feet of video projections.
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library"s "Apollo 11: One Giant Leap for Mankind" brings the mission to life with moon rocks, astronaut suits, an exact replica of the command module, and perhaps most interestingly, a speech prepared for Nixon in case the lunar landing ended in disaster.
