Apollo 11 Moon Landing 50th Anniversary at Wright Brothers National Memorial
50 years after crowds came together at the location of man's first powered flight to witness man's first steps on the moon, Wright Brothers National Memorial looked back at that shared history. The celebration connected the Wright Brothers' innovation to Apollo 11 and reflected on the progress made since.
By Michael Barber on Jul. 04, 2019
Wright Brothers National Memorial, together with Outer Banks Forever, First Flight Foundation, and First Flight Society, planned a July 18-20 series of programs marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The commemorative weekend began on the evening of July 18th with a space-themed film screening at Dowdy Park in Nags Head, sponsored by First Flight Foundation. Additional space-focused ranger programs were scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with programming running between 10AM-4:30PM.
Thursday, July 18
Apollo 11 Movie Night
Dowdy Park, Nags Head
Hosted by: First Flight Foundation
Families were invited to start the weekend with an outdoor movie night. Guests were encouraged to wear 1960’s attire or space themed costumes, and to bring beach chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. Concessions were available for purchase from Manteo Lions Club, OBX Sunset Slushies and OBX Frozen Yogurt.
Event Schedule
- 6:30PM — Astro Activities with the National Park Service & First Flight Foundation
- 7:00PM — The Apollo Program with Chris Godart, Wright Brothers National Memorial Volunteer and Docent at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
- 8-8:30PM — Movie begins at nightfall: Hidden Figures
Friday, July 19
Homemade Rocket Launch & Ranger Programs
Jockey’s Ridge State Park, Nags Head
Hosted by: Jockey’s Ridge State Park and Friends of Jockey’s Ridge
Visitors could make a homemade rocket and see it launch at sunset. Jockey’s Ridge State Park rangers and Friends of Jockey’s Ridge offered a July 19th program about the lunar landing, including hands-on rocket building and launching. The activities explored the science behind the rocket launch connected to the historic moon landing 50 years ago.
Event Schedule for Jockey's Ridge
- 7:00PM — Kids’ activities, including a station for building a homemade rocket
- 7:45PM — Group rocket launch just before sunset at 7:45, followed by Sunset on the Ridge ranger program
Event Schedule for Wright Brothers National Memorial
- 10:00AM, 11:00AM — Sand Dunes & Moon Dust (Ranger Program)
- 12:00PM, 4:00PM — A program on the events that led to the first powered flight in 1903 and the connections to the Apollo 11 mission
- 1:00PM, 2:30PM — The Wright Stuff (Ranger Program): Explore the Legacy of the Wright Brothers from Kitty Hawk to Tranquility Base
Saturday, July 20
One Giant Leap: 50th Anniversary of Apollo Moon Landing, Ranger Programs, & Astronaut
Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills
Hosted by: National Park Service, Outer Banks Forever and First Flight Foundation
Guests were invited to experience the park after hours as the site recreated the evening 50 years earlier when locals and visitors gathered at Wright Brothers National Memorial to watch history unfold. On July 20th, the public could view a special rebroadcast of the original lunar landing news coverage outside the visitor center. Some guests may recall that, 50 years ago on the evening of July 20, 1969, Wright Brothers National Memorial served as the setting for a live news broadcast event during the Apollo moon landing. The rebroadcast was designed both for visitors who wanted to remember their own experiences from 50 years ago and for new audiences encountering this historic moment.
The July 20th special guest was active NASA Astronaut Eric A. Boe (Colonel, U.S. Air Force Retired). NASA selected Eric Boe as an astronaut in 2000, and he flew on two space shuttle missions as pilot for the Space Shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. Boe and his crewmates were working closely with Boeing on new spacecraft systems intended to provide crew transportation services to the International Space Station and restore the capability to launch humans into space from United States soil. Boe was scheduled to present Ask an Astronaut and participate in a public meet-and-greet on Saturday, July 20th before appearing at the evening feature event. Wright Brothers National Memorial recognized First Flight Foundation’s work in bringing Eric Boe to the Outer Banks.
Wright Brothers National Memorial stayed open until 9:30 pm, and park admission fees were waived on July 20. During the evening, visitors were encouraged to enter a costume contest by dressing as astronauts or wearing 1960s attire. Beach chairs or blankets were recommended for comfortable viewing during the rebroadcast event.
Event Schedule
- 10:00AM, 11:00AM, 4:00PM — Sand Dunes & Moon Dust (Ranger Program): Learn about the events leading to the first powered flight in 1903 and its similarities to the Apollo 11 mission.
- 10:00AM, 3:00PM, 4:30PM — Planet Walk (Ranger Program): A park ranger led visitors along a scale model of the solar system on the memorial grounds, with information about distant planets and their relationships to one another.
- 12:00PM — Apollo 11, Final Chapter in the Space Race: National Park Service volunteer Chris Godart presented a program called Apollo 11, Final Chapter in the Space Race, covering the events before the historic Apollo 11 mission and how the mission safely landed man on the moon and returned to earth.
- 2:00PM — Ask an Astronaut with NASA Astronaut: NASA Astronaut and Space Shuttle veteran Eric Boe gave a brief presentation about his time in space and led an audience question-and-answer session.
- 3:00PM — The Wright Stuff (Ranger Program): Explore the Legacy of the Wright Brothers from Kitty Hawk to Tranquility Base
- 5:00PM — Meet and Greet with NASA Astronaut Eric Boe (Public Event): Guests had the chance to meet and speak informally with a real-life astronaut.
- 7:00PM — Special Guest Speaker (Feature Event): Active NASA astronaut Eric Boe discussed spaceflight and the legacy of the Wright Brothers.
- 8:10PM — Walter Cronkite Footage of the Moon Landing (Feature Event): A rebroadcast of Walter Cronkite’s famous moon landing news coverage began shortly after 8:00 p.m. and ended around 8:45 p.m.
NASA Astronaut Eric Boe was identified as 1 of only 38 active astronauts in the USA.
A historic image showed Wright Brothers National Memorial visitors viewing a live broadcast of the moon landing on the evening of July 20, 1969.
Another image showed the moon above the First Flight Bounder on the evening of July 20, 1969.
A further image showed visitors outside the Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center watching a live broadcast of the moon landing on the evening of July 20, 1969.
Categories
- Family Fun
- History & Heritage
Tags
- Kill Devil Hills
- Nags Head
Author
Michael Barber
Public Affairs Specialist, National Park Service