TUKWILA, Wash., April 3, 2019—Like the deep first rumble of a rocket launch, international momentum is building for this summer’s July celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and the Museum’s signature exhibition of 2019, Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission, with its centerpiece Apollo 11 spacecraft, is poised to be a major center of attention. Destination Moon is organized by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), and features new content developed by The Museum of Flight expressly for this location. The media are invited to a special preview event of the exhibition on April 11 at 10 a.m. Destination Moon opens April 13 and runs through Sept. 2.
Featured Speakers
The press event begins with presentations by The Museum of Flight President/CEO Matt Hayes; Dr. Michael J. Neufeld, Senior Curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s Space History Department; and Geoff Nunn, The
Museum of Flight Exhibit Developer and Adjunct Curator for Space
History. Other speakers include Tukwila Mayor Allan Ekberg, plus
interview opportunities with experts in the exhibition.
Apollo Interviews
Available for interviews are two individuals featured in the exhibition:
Dr. James Joki, who not only helped design the Apollo 11 life support backpacks, but also was a flight controller during the historic Armstrong and Aldrin Moon walk; and David Concannon, who led the Bezos Expeditions' Apollo F-1 Search and Recovery Project’s amazing undersea search for the Apollo engines on display. Boeing Company Historian Mike Lombardi will be on hand to talk about Boeing’s significant roles in the Space Race and Apollo lunar missions.
Please RSVP by April 8, 2019 to Ted Huetter, thuetter@museumofflight.org
Museum Events During Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission
The Museum’s April 12, 6-11p.m. celebration of spaceflight dance party, Yuri’s Night, will be the first public preview of Destination Moon.
The April 13-14 opening weekend of the exhibition will offer special lectures, family programs and VR tours of the Apollo 11 command module.
There will special events and programs during the run of the exhibit, including a weekend festival during the July 20 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, each day with a theme: July 19, a ”1969” family day, with an evening ‘60s music concert and movie; July 20, a rocking celebration of the Moon landing with an evening outdoor concert; July 21, a presentation reflecting upon spaceflight today and tomorrow that features NASA’s next astronauts. There will also be several free community days for Destination Moon (dates to be announced).
Destination Moon tickets are $10 plus Museum admission, and special pricing for Museum Members.
Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission is made possible by the support of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, Joe Clark, Bruce R. McCaw Family Foundation, the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, John and Susann Norton, and Gregory D. and Jennifer Walston Johnson. Transportation services for Destination Moon are provided by FedEx.
Images: Apollo 11 command module Columbia in Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission at The Museum of Flight. Buzz Aldrin's spacesuit helmet and gloves worn while on the surface of the Moon, displayed in Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission at The Museum of Flight. Ted Huetter/The Museum of Flight, Seattle.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:Ted Huetter/Senior Public Relations Manager
T: 206.768.7105 C: 206.455.5360 Email: thuetter@museumofflight.org
