Moon Mission

On July 16, 1969, at 932 a.m. EDT, the Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy, on its mission to the Moon, carrying Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on top of a Saturn V rocket. On July 20, 1969, an estimated 530 million people watched Armstrong's televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took "...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

But this giant leap would not have been possible if it was not for the scientists and engineers of NASA&rsquos Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. It was they who developed the Saturn V rocket. The rocket was 111 meters (363 feet) tall, about the height of a 36-story-tall building. Fully fueled for liftoff, the Saturn V weighed 2.8 million kilograms (6.2 million pounds), the weight of about 400 elephants and generated 34.5 million newtons (7.6 million pounds) of thrust at launch, creating more power than 85 Hoover Dams, according to their website.

To celebrate the 50^th&nbspanniversary of the first moon landing, the US Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) in &lsquoRocket City&rsquo Huntsville, Alabama, is holding a number of spectacular events through July. USSRC is the official NASA Visitor Center for Marshall Space Flight Center and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. To commemorate the launch, on July 16, 2019, the USSRC will attempt to break Guinness World Record by launching 5,000 model rockets simultaneously.

Some of the other interesting programmes are

Apollo When We Went to the Moon

Open now through December, 2019, this all-new main exhibition hosted by the USSRC showcases the timeline from the beginning of the Space Race &ndash a time when the U.S. and Soviet Union competed over their accomplishments in space exploration &ndash to the collaborative culture of the International Space Station program and beyond.

Rockets on Parade

At the Panoply Arts Festival in downtown Huntsville, between April 26 and 28, 2019, you can catch a glimpse of some of the early entries from individuals, companies and organizations, who have responded to the USSRC&rsquos appeal to join the celebration by purchasing, decorating and displaying model SLS rockets throughout the Tennessee Valley. The rockets will be judged based on impact, creativity, subject matter and historical storytelling and be on display throughout the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Celebration Car Show

On July 13, the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission begins with a Celebration Car Show with vehicles from the Apollo era on display. A full-scale, Polaris-powered Apollo Lunar Rover replica will also be featured at this event on the Rocket Center grounds.

Rocket City Summer Fest &ndash Moon Landing Concert

The concert will be held at the USSRC on July 20. Paid entry. 

Details of programmes and tickets available on https://www.rocketcenter.com/Apollo50