Travel
Bravo, Apollo 50!
My son and I attended the Apollo 50 Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 space mission where astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and NASA hosted this three-day event on the National Mall in Washington, DC, where NASA and other exhibitors provided interactive displays on the science and technology of space travel.
We enjoyed a virtual reality walkthrough of the International Space Station,
NASA tattoos and artists,
the fantastic LEGO art and rocket build,
and the land rover demonstration on my son's back!
Having a teenager in search of career options, I appreciated the outreach NASA was conducting for kids to attract them into the STEM fields. It provided them with real-world examples of how the space program is changing technology and how technology is changing the space program. Take these 3D printed robots, for example.
The main attraction came at night after the sun went down. The 17-minute video production of the Apollo 11 mission, called "Go for the Moon," projected on the Washington Monument and jumbotrons was pure genius. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea. The show was dramatic, riveting, and inspiring.
Here is my highlights video from my seat amongst the massive crowd. Apologies for the uneven, hand-held audio and video! I just couldn't resist sharing this awesome experience!
And some photos of the graphics projected onto the Washington Monument.
