Half a century ago, on July 20, 1969, humans walked on the Moon for the first time — and returned to walk on the lunar surface five more times. We look back at the legacy of our first small steps on the Moon and look forward to the next giant leap.
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum continues a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions. With our renowned collection and expertise, we hope to spark a national conversation about the past, present, and future of innovation and exploration.
Past Event
"Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" Full Show
Over 500,000 people joined us on the National Mall this July for the Apollo 50: Go For the Moon projection show on the Washington Monument. You can now relive this once-in-a-lifetime celebration in full. Go for the Moon captures the excitement of the first Moon landing and tells the story of the iconic Apollo 11 mission from launch to landing and beyond.
"Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" was commissioned by the National Air and Space Museum and produced by 59 Productions. The Museum's Apollo 50 programming was made possible by the support of Boeing with additional support from Raytheon.
The Apollo Story
Together We Choose
On September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy rallied the nation behind our lunar quest with his iconic "We Choose to Go to the Moon" speech at Rice University. This moment helped usher in the space age as we now know it. As we look back at our past, and ahead to our next great leap, the National Air and Space Museum gathered aerospace ground breakers--scientists, historians, and astronauts from the Apollo-era to today's commercial crew--to commemorate this historic call to action.
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Relive Highlights from the Celebration
Past Event
In Conversation with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins
David Rubenstein interviews Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins as part of the Museum's Apollo 50 Gala.
Past Event
The Spirit of Apollo
This special night at Washington National Cathedral celebrated the iconic Apollo 8 Christmas Eve broadcast from space with astronaut Jim Lovell and other special guests
Watch Now
Past Event
Vice Adm. Donald D. Engen Flight Jacket Night
Apollo flight director Gene Kranz talked about his work on Apollo 11 and narrated the landing from his logbook.
Watch the Archived Webcast
July, 2019 Celebration in DC
Support for Apollo 50 programming is generously provided by
With additional support from
