DAYTON, Ohio -- Explore space with us this month as we commemorate the anniversaries of two special moon missions during Family Day on July 15 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
July 20th will mark the 48th anniversary of Apollo 11 - the first time humans set foot on the moon, and July 30th is the 46th anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission, which had an all Air Force crew and landed on the moon on July 30, 1971. Visitors can see the Apollo 15 command module in the museum's Space Gallery in the fourth building!
Throughout the day, visitors can participate in demonstration stations and hands-on activities to learn about space exploration, including the Apollo missions and the mighty Saturn V moon rocket.
NASA Solar System Ambassador Tyler Hines will offer a one-hour tour titled “History of Manned Space Flight” at 10 a.m, 12 p.m and 2 p.m., and will be available throughout the day to answer questions near the entrance to the Space Gallery.
In addition, the first 500 visitors will be able to participate in a free “Build and Launch” rocket workshop in the second building from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., while supplies last. Children will be given a free rocket kit to build on site and then launch on museum grounds. The launch of these rockets as well as additional demonstration rocket flights is being hosted by Wright Stuff Rocketeers, a local rocketry club. Museum visitors may only launch rockets built during the workshop on museum grounds prior to 3 p.m. The free rocket kits are being provided by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc.
"Storytime" begins at 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. in the STEM Learning Node located in the Presidential Gallery. Preschool and primary-grade children are invited to hear space-related stories and make a free craft project.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.
NOTE TO PUBLIC: For more information, please contact the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Education Division at (937) 255-4646.
NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, please contact Rob Bardua at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-1386.