WHAT: Vice President Al Gore to award Smithsonian's Langley Medal to Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins
WHEN: Tuesday, July 20 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: National Air and Space Museum Sixth Street & Independence Avenue, SW
Vice Chancellor of the Smithsonian's Board of Regents, Vice President Al Gore will award the Smithsonian's prestigious Langley Medal to Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (pictured at left). Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin were the first men to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969, while Command Module Pilot Michael Collins continued to orbit the moon and prepare for the rendezvous. The Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia" is currently on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery at the National Air and Space Museum.
The Langley Medal was established by the Smithsonian Board of Regents in 1908 at the suggestion of Alexander Graham Bell. The medal is awarded for "meritorious investigations in connection with the science of aerodromics and its application to aviation." Some of the past recipients have been Wilbur and Orville Wright (1909), Charles A. Lindbergh (1927), Alan B. Shepard Jr. (1964) and Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (1992).
Note to Editors: This is a photo opportunity only. The astronauts will not be available for interviews or Q & A. To attend, please call (202) 357-1552 or fax to (202) 633-8174.
More Information:
- Lunar Module
- Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia"
- Milestones of Flight Gallery
- Apollo To The Moon Exhibition (new online exhibition 7/20)
- Space Race Exhibition
- Apollo Manned Space Program (new pages online 7/20)
- Trophies and Awards at the National Air and Space Museum