travelling moon exhibition

Our hours are subject to change on a daily basis based on special events and exhibition closures. Please check our Visitor Information page .  Last entry is one hour prior to closing.

Mon-Fri: 10:00am-5:00pm  

Sat, Sun, and Holidays: 10:00am-6:00pm  

The Space Shuttle Pavilion will be closed due to exhibition planning from  Monday, September 2 - Friday, September 27.  

Apollo: When We Went to the Moon

The Intrepid Museum–home of the space shuttle Enterprise —is thrilled to host Apollo: When We Went to the Moon . This special exhibition, opening on March 26, 2024, unpacks the history of the Apollo program and sets the stage for NASA’s current Moon to Mars campaign. Apollo: When We Went to the Moon will be presented in the Museum’s Space Shuttle Pavilion. Using interactive media, photographs, and rarely-seen artifacts from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center® archives, the exhibition explores the people, technology and world events that defined this pivotal moment in the Space Race. Apollo: When We Went to the Moon reveals the forces that pushed the United States and the Soviet Union to sacrifice man and machine in order to be the first on the Moon. Apollo: When We Went to the Moon at the Intrepid Museum has been partially funded thanks to generous support from Greg Olsen.

Museum members are invited to preview our latest exhibition before it opens to the public.

Apollo: When We Went to the Moon provides historical context to the colossal innovations of the Apollo program and NASA’s subsequent projects, shedding light on space exploration’s profound technological and cultural impacts.  After World War II, an intense rivalry formed between the United States and the Soviet Union igniting the Space Race. Both countries had one prime objective: to put the first humans on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, the United States won the race. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. This achievement transformed humanity’s understanding of our world and our potential to reach beyond its boundaries.

Immersive projection with powerful audio and authentic video

Leave footprints on the moon!

Experience how astronauts get around on the moon

See and hear footage broadcast around the world

Learn about the German foundations in engineering utilized in the U.S. and the USSR

Apollo: When We Went to the Moon is a touring exhibition co-produced by U.S. Space & Rocket Center® and Flying Fish . Elements of the exhibit will be enhanced by the Intrepid Museum’s own collection and curatorial team.

We offer a number of compelling programs and events that celebrate history, science, technology and engineering in exciting ways.

Browse records from all four categories of our collections: objects, media, archives and oral histories. Explore thematic and item-specific groupings or uncover personal artifacts like uniforms, souvenirs and images.

Take a virtual Google Arts & Culture Tour to discover the fascinating collections and artifacts on display at the Museum from wherever you are.

Explore an array of unforgettable experiences.  

Enjoy exclusive benefits, including free admission. Learn more and join today.

AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

The national air and space museum’s new take on lunar exploration.

Destination Moon will tell the story with a post-Apollo audience in mind.

Michael J. Neufeld

Millions of past visitors to the Smithsonian have fond memories of Apollo to the Moon, the National Air and Space Museum’s original exhibit about the 20th century space race. After opening in 1976, the gallery was modified several times over the decades, until construction to refresh the National Mall building began in 2018. Destination Moon, scheduled to open in 2022, is a worthy successor to that exhibit, a new telling of the lunar exploration story for the 21st century.

At the time Apollo to the Moon opened, almost all visitors had personally experienced the moon race, if only through their TV sets. The exhibit had many historic artifacts on display, including a giant F-1 engine from the Saturn V rocket and Armstrong’s and Aldrin’s Apollo 11 spacesuits. But there was little in the way of explanation or context.

When the curatorial team began planning the replacement exhibit a decade ago, we could no longer assume the average visitor knew much about the cold war or the 1960s space race. Already by then, the majority of our visitors had been born after Apollo. And we could no longer end the story with the last astronaut landing—robotic lunar exploration had resumed in the 1990s. Destination Moon will therefore present lunar exploration in a broader frame, from ancient dreams to missions still in the planning stage.

When visitors enter, they will see above them artist Chesley Bonestell’s giant, 10-foot by 40-foot mural, A Lunar Landscape. He painted it for the Boston Museum of Science’s planetarium in early 1957, six months before Sputnik, and it shows the moon as we then imagined it would be, with razor-sharp mountains. Underneath the mural—which is currently undergoing a careful restoration—objects, photographs, and explanatory text will cover two millennia of imaginary lunar flights, leading up to efforts in the 1950s to sell space travel, often using Bonestell’s artwork.

Next, visitors will learn about the early space race with the Soviet Union. In 1961, after Yuri Gagarin became the first human spacefarer, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to “land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth” before the end of the decade. A short video about this monumental decision and speech explains why the president and Congress were willing to spend billions of dollars to beat the Soviets.

Immediately adjacent to the Kennedy display is Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 Mercury capsule, one of the original Apollo to the Moon objects. On May 5, 1961, Shepard became the first American in space—a necessary success before Kennedy would commit to the lunar landing.

The center of Destination Moon tells, over two floors, the exciting story of how the nation rose to that challenge. On prominent display are the giant Saturn V first-stage engines from the old gallery. Some may recall how one F-1 engine nozzle and a section of another were displayed with mirrors on two sides to create the illusion of seeing all five engines on the Saturn V’s first stage. Now we lift the artifacts up to the ceiling, again with mirroring. One can walk beneath them on the first floor, or see them up close on the mezzanine.

Also on the first floor are four large pieces of the F-1s used on Apollo 11, which were recovered from the ocean floor in 2013 by an expedition funded by Jeff Bezos. Not far away are the Gemini VII spacecraft that figured in the first space rendezvous and Neil Armstrong’s A-7L lunar spacesuit in its state-of-the art exhibit case.

The upper deck details the challenge of designing that suit, and illustrates life aboard the Apollo spacecraft, along with the critical contributions of pre-launch simulations and Mission Control. The mezzanine will be a spectacular overlook for viewing the gallery’s three giant murals: Bonestell’s painting on the entry wall, the Apollo 8 Earthrise image on the back wall, and a panorama from Apollo 17 on the exit wall. In the gallery’s center, appropriately, sits the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, back from a national tour in 2019. Above it hang Ranger and Surveyor, two of the U.S. robotic spacecraft that paved Apollo’s way.

The lunar module cockpit from Apollo to the Moon also returns—now playing video of the last two minutes of the Apollo 11 landing, but with an updated simulation of Armstrong’s view out the left window, matched with actual footage taken through Aldrin’s right window.

Around the corner, the exhibit shows how subsequent Apollo expeditions explored the moon scientifically. A lunar rover like the one used on the last three landings sits on a simulated lunar surface, along with key experiments like the telescope designed by African-American astronomer George Carruthers, which became the first observatory on the moon during Apollo 16. (The gallery exhibits the backup telescope.) Throughout the gallery, we highlight the crucial contributions of minorities and women to the space program.

Destination Moon closes with the return of lunar exploration. Above hangs a structural test version of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been mapping the surface since 2009. Next to that is a model of the huge SLS booster that NASA hopes will launch astronauts there in the near future.

As lunar exploration heats up again, we expect the new exhibit will be a magnet for visitors in the completely transformed Museum. It will introduce new generations to how, when, and why humans dreamed—then did more than dream—of exploring that beautiful disk in the night sky.

Space historian Michael J. Neufeld is the lead curator of the Destination Moon gallery. He is responsible for the National Air and Space Museum’s Mercury and Gemini spacecraft and its collection of rockets and missiles. Neufeld is the author of several books, including a biography of Wernher von Braun and Spaceflight: A Concise History.

Destination Moon is made possible by the generous support of:

Apollo 11 Commemorative Coin Program | Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos | Joe Clark | Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences | Bruce R. McCaw Family Foundation | Elizabeth H. and James S. McDonnell III Fund (at the St. Louis Community Foundation) and The JSM Charitable Trust | John and Susann Norton | Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons | Gregory D. and Jennifer Walston Johnson | Barry D. Friedman | Leora and Derek Kaufman | FedEx Corporation | The Beall Family | Milann H. Siegfried | OMEGA | Robert Procop

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Luke Jerram

Museum of the Moon is a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram .

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface*.

Over its lifetime, the Museum of the Moon  will be presented in a number of different ways both indoors and outdoors, so altering the experience and interpretation of the artwork. As it travels from place to place, it gathers new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting the latest moon science.

The installation is a fusion of lunar imagery, moonlight and surround sound composition created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award winning composer Dan Jones . Each venue also programmes their own series of lunar inspired events beneath the moon.

The moon has always inspired humanity, acting as a ‘cultural mirror’ to society, reflecting the ideas and beliefs of all people around the world. Over the centuries, the moon has been interpreted as a god and as a planet. It has been used as a timekeeper, calendar and been a source of light to aid nighttime navigation. Throughout history the moon has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians the world over. The ethereal blue light cast by a full moon, the delicate crescent following the setting sun, or the mysterious dark side of the moon has evoked passion and exploration. Different cultures around the world have their own historical, cultural, scientific and religious relationships to the moon. And yet somehow, despite these differences, the moon connects us all.

Museum of the Moon allows us to observe and contemplate cultural similarities and differences around the world,  and consider the latest moon science. Depending on where the artwork   is presented, its meaning and interpretation will shift. Read more in  Research . 

#MuseumoftheMoon

Each venue to present the artwork can programme their own series lunar inspired events beneath the moon. Below are a selection of events that that have taken place so far…

Museum of the Moon has been co-commissioned by a number of creative organisations brought together by Luke Jerram and Norfolk & Norwich Festival . These include: Greenwich+Docklands International Festival,   Brighton Festival ,  Without Walls,   Cork Midsummer Festival ,  We The Curious , Lakes Alive , Provincial Domain Dommelhof, Les Tombées de la Nuit, Rennes   and Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts . The artwork has been created in partnership with the  UK Space Agency ,  University of Bristol and The Association for Science and Discovery Centres . For more information see Partners .

Luke Jerram’s multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. Living in the UK but working internationally for 25 years, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. Find out more through his main website  here.

The Museum of the Moon was inspired by living in Bristol and noticing the huge tidal variation as he cycled over the Avon Cut each day. His moon research also led to his artwork  Tide . In 2019 Luke was made a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. 

*The massive 23 metre wide, high resolution image used to create the moon artwork, was created by the Astrogeology Science Centre in the USA. The imagery was taken by a NASA satellite carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera launched in 2010.

Museum Collections

Editions of the Museum of the Moon artwork have been acquired by: 

Houston Museum of Natural Science , USA.  Powerhouse Museum (Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences), Sydney. Natural History Museum Vienna , Austria.  Canadian Museum of Nature , Ottawa.  Aga Khan Museum , Toronto, Canada.  OliOli , Dubai, UAE.  Questacon , Canberra, Australia. CosmoCaixa Barcelona , Spain. Exploratorium , San Francisco, USA. Parque de las Ciencias , Granada, Spain. Nelson Provincial Museum , New Zealand. Adler Planetarium , Chicago, USA.  Imagine Museum Collection , Florida, USA.  Peoria Riverfront Museum , Illinois, USA. Chongqing Lamba Art Gallery, China.  L’Ososphère , Strasbourg, France. Berkshire Museum , Pittsfield, MA, USA.  Draper Museum , Cambridge, USA.  Ethnographical Museum , Geneva, Switzerland. 

Contact us about purchasing an edition of this artwork for your museum (different sizes are available).

Charitable Work

From the success of this artwork, Luke has been able to set up and fund various charitable initiatives including : Bristol Schools Arts Fund , Dreamtime Fellowships ,  Power of Light ,  Ascension.

Follow the Moon

SPECIAL EXHIBIT

Entry: Exhibit Ticket Required | Location: Union Terminal

Don’t miss the final stop of Apollo 11’s national tour

On July 24, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission met President Kennedy’s 1961 challenge of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth” before the end of the decade. Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission explores and honors that great achievement using genuine flown artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission on loan from the National Air and Space Museum. Featuring the Apollo command module Columbia — the only portion of the historic spacecraft to survive the lunar journey — the exhibition explores the birth and development of the American space program and the space race in time for the 50th anniversary of humankind’s greatest scientific achievement.

Destination Moon gives guest the rare opportunity to see artifacts that made the 953,000-mile journey possible, like Buzz Aldrin’s gold-plated extravehicular helmet visor and thermal-insulated gloves. The dizzying star chart that helped Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins navigate the historic journey and the rucksack and survival kit that accompanied the astronauts are also included. The star of the exhibition is the Columbia command module, on display outside the National Air and Space Museum for the first time since 1976.

“Artifacts so authentic you can almost smell the moon dust on them!"

“So crazy to stand inches away from the command module!"

Key artifacts

Command Module Columbia

Manufacturer: North American Rockwell Primary Materials: aluminum alloy, stainless steel, titanium Dimensions: 10 feet, 7 inches x 12 feet, 10 inches. 9,130 lbs. -->

The only part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to return intact to Earth. It was the three-person crew’s living quarters for most of the mission, from Cape Kennedy, to the Moon’s orbit, to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Aldrin’s Extravehicular Visor

Visor materials: gold-plated polycarbonate, UV-coated polycarbonate

The A7-L Lunar Extravehicular Visor Assembly consists of a polycarbonate shell onto which the cover, visors, hinges, eyeshades and latch are attached. It has two visors, one covered with a thermal control coating and the other with a gold optical coating. It also has two steel side sunshields, which could be raised and lowered independently. It provided impact, micrometeoroid, thermal, ultraviolet and infrared light protection.

Aldrin’s Extravehicular Gloves

Primary exterior materials: beta cloth, Chromel-R, Velcro, rubber-silicone compound

The gloves were constructed of an outer shell of Chromel-R fabric with thermal insulation to provide protection while handling extremely hot or cold objects. The blue fingertips were made of silicone rubber to provide sensitivity. The inner glove was of a rubber/neoprene compound, into which the restraint system was integrated.

Rucksack #1, Survival Kit

Each Apollo mission was equipped with two rucksacks providing equipment to allow for crew survival on Earth for up to 48 hours after landing. This is the first of the two rucksacks flown on Apollo 11. It includes three water containers, one radio beacon with spare battery, three pairs of sunglasses, six packages of desalted chemicals, one desalter kit, two survival lights, one machete and two bottles of sunscreen.

“If you’re a space nut, this exhibit is totally worth it!"

A New Moon Rises

The Moon is not the same place as when astronauts last stepped on foot on it. A New Moon Rises , a companion gallery to Destination Moon presented by the Smithsonian, features stunning large-scale photographs of the lunar surface captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Cameras (LROC) between 2009 and 2015. The highly detailed photographs reveal a celestial neighbor that is surprisingly dynamic and full of grandeur and wonder.

A New Moon Rises was created by the National Air and Space Museum and the Arizona State University, and is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

A New Moon Rises is included with admission to Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission .

Tickets for Destination Moon

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Member Perk

Hey Members! Do you want to see Destination Moon while avoiding the busy times during its final days? Come see Destination Moon starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 1, 8 and 15. The exhibit will also stay open late with the last entry at 6 p.m. through February 17. Exhibition open through February 17, 2020.

Destination Moon Discounts

• AAA Members can receive $2 off Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission and $1 off Museum Admission when they present their membership card at the box office or by providing their AAA Membership number when purchasing tickets over the phone or use code: 3ADISCMOON when you purchase your tickets online.*
• Military persons, including active, retired, veterans, and family, receive $3 off Destination Moon when they present their military ID at box office.

* Must purchase Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission ticket and a Museum Admission ticket as a combo in order to redeem this discount.

Join the conversation using #CMCmoon

The exhibit looks great - and it's in Neil's home state! 👍 #ApolloXI https://t.co/Kd3FLLeOc1 — Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) October 4, 2019

Don’t miss the Columbia command module’s last stop on its Smithsonian traveling tour. #DestinationMoon is now on exhibit at the @CincyMuseum through February 17, 2020. https://t.co/fFY8L15KIk — Michael Collins (@AstroMCollins) February 10, 2020

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Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission Exhibition Opens April 13 with a Weekend Celebration

Major exhibition celebrates first Moon landing during its 50th anniversary, features the actual Apollo 11 space capsule

TUKWILA, Wash., April 11, 2019 —Like the deep first rumble of a rocket launch, international momentum is building for this summer’s July celebration of the 50 th 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 exhibition runs from April 13 to Sept. 2. Tickets are $10 plus Museum admission, and special pricing for Museum Members. There will also be several free community days for Destination Moon (the dates to be announced).

“The Museum is honored to work with the Smithsonian to host this historic exhibition during the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11’s flight,” said Matt Hayes, Museum of Flight President and CEO. “We look forward to celebrating Apollo 11 with the global community, and especially with our neighbors in the Northwest—some of whom helped get us to the Moon, and now there’s a new generation of space explorers based right here.”

The Destination Moon celebration kicks off with a 21+ preview and party, Yuri’s Night , on April 12 from 6-11 p.m. This space-themed spectacle joins art, dance, music and technology to pay tribute to humankind’s first celestial journey—Yuri Gagarin’s orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961. The Museum’s T.A. Wilson Great Gallery transforms into an intergalactic nightclub with some of the best electronic music DJs from Seattle and beyond with ASTRONOMAR taking center stage with support from Subset and Hydef. Yuri’s Night attendees are also treated to a preview of Destination Moon , and a playful 6 p.m. with space shuttle astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger.

The April 13-14 opening weekend of the exhibition will offer special lectures, free souvenirs, family programs and VR tours of the Apollo 11 command module. The exhibit also marks the opening of a reimagined design of the Museum’s indoor playground for children, now called Tranquility Base. Located next to Destination Moon , the highly interactive area includes a command module mock-up that kids can board and “radio” to friends or family stationed at a nearby mission control console. Tranquility Base is open and free to all Museum visitors.

Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission The challenge of putting the first steps on the Moon moved a nation during the 1960s, Apollo’s legacy now inspires today’s spaceflight adventurers. The exhibition takes you back with original Apollo 11-flown objects, interactives and unique artifacts from the Space Race. Only here will you experience them during Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary. And along the way, you too will feel reason to celebrate the beginning of today’s New Space Age.

In its only West Coast appearance, Destination Moon will feature special programs throughout the run of the exhibition, plus a weekend festival during the July 20 50th anniversary of the giant leap for humanity. The exhibition includes more than 20 one-of-a-kind artifacts from the Smithsonian, many flown on the historic mission, plus dozens of NASA and Russian spaceflight additions from the Museum’s renowned collection.

Highlighting the exhibition is the historic NASA Apollo 11 command module, Columbia . Visitors can see the spaceship up close like never before, and can explore its intricate interior with an interactive 3-D tour created from the Smithsonian’s high-resolution scans.

The Smithsonian’s Destination Moon exhibition is enhanced with The Museum of Flight’s own Space Race displays with rare objects like a Soviet Sputnik satellite, early cosmonaut spacesuit and long-lost remains of the rocket engines that boosted Apollo 12 and Apollo 16 to the Moon. Also unique is a gallery about the legacy of Seattle-area industry, astronauts and engineers to the space program.

The Museum is the fourth museum on a limited tour organized by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. This Destination Moon tour marks the first time the Apollo 11 command module Columbia has left the National Air and Space Museum since the museum opened to the public in 1976. Before entering the collection, the command module traveled on a 50-state tour throughout 1970 and 1971 covering more than 26,000 miles. It then went on display in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building before the current National Air and Space Museum was built on the National Mall.

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.

Image: Apollo 11 command module Columbia in Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission at The Museum of Flight. Ted Huetter/The Museum of Flight, Seattle.

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Destination moon.

For centuries, humans have dreamed of flying to the Moon. In 1959, our machines actually began to go there. A decade later, humans walked on its surface. 

The Destination Moon exhibition features iconic objects from the Museum's unrivaled collection of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo artifacts, including Alan Shepard's Mercury spacesuit and spacecraft, a Saturn V F-1 engine, and Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit and command module Columbia. The gallery shows how an extraordinary combination of motivations, resources, and technologies made it possible for humans to walk on the Moon—and how and why we are going back today.

Posted on 6th December 2022 Categories Arts + Culture

By: Author Alastair Reid Schanche

The Museum of the Moon Returns in all its Lunar Glory

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The Museum of the Moon returns to London this month. Here’s what you need to know.

The stunning Museum of the Moon will return to London from December 13th 2022 – 5th of February 2023, and its setting will be equally spectacular. 

In case you missed it last time, the exhibition features a giant moon in a 1:500,000 scale that recreates the true surface of the moon from 120dpi NASA imagery. 

It all sounds very fancy, but that basically means that the image is super-high resolution and that each centimetre on the model represents 5km on the real moon. The sculpture is lit internally and looks just beautiful, often suspended from the ceiling in an equally enchanting location. 

What to Expect

Although the exhibition calls itself a museum, it’s probably more like a gallery. The focus is more on the display than learning. You’re likely to find people lying on the floor gazing up at the giant structure. 

This time around, the moon will be hung in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich , a space that’s as intricately painted ceilings are as impressive as the moon is beautiful. 

But the best part of what happens when the moon comes to town is that its chosen venue hosts a series of events with the moon as a backdrop… And this time is no different. 

The Old Royal Naval College has a good run of events coming up – kicking off with a cocktail party and finishing with a celebration of the lunar new year in late January. As well as a Christmas party with Santa in attendance, a well-being session and a dinner party that sees the Painted Hall used in one of its original capacities. 

You can find more info and book tickets here

Museum of the Moon: Practical Information

Address : Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, London SE10 9NN

Tickets : Adult £12.50, Children get in free. 

Museum of the Moon: Map

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The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has announced plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions and help lead the national celebration of the first moon landing July 20, 1969. By sharing the national collection and expertise of staff, the museum will spark conversations exploring the legacy of Neil Armstrong’s first small step and contemplating the next giant leap.

Programming will begin this fall, with events honoring the early Apollo missions, and span through the anniversary of the first moon landing July 20, with celebrations at the museum and on the National Mall. Highlights will include Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit going on display in July 2019, for the first time in 13 years, following conservation funded by thousands of public donations through Kickstarter.

Information on all of the museum’s programs and events, as well as rich historical content on the Apollo program, can be found on the museum’s Apollo website .

Currently scheduled events and programming will include:

Design Unveiling of the 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coins—Oct. 11

Designs for the 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coins will be unveiled at the museum Oct. 11, the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 7. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the coin is authorized to be paid to the National Air and Space Museum to support the museum’s future “Destination Moon” exhibition, scheduled to open in 2022.

Apollo Dialogues Workshop—Dec. 7

The museum and NASA will host a workshop to assess the current state of the field of space history, suggest new lenses for analysis and interpretation and consider new paths for future scholarship. The event is intended for researchers, writers, scholars and popularizers.

 The Spirit of Apollo—Dec. 11

The museum will host an event at Washington National Cathedral, celebrating Apollo 8 and the spiritual meaning of exploration and global unity in the mission’s iconic Christmas Eve broadcast. Scheduled speakers include Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 astronaut; Ellen Stofan, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum; and Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator. Additional speakers and further details, including free tickets for the public, will be available on the museum’s website later this year.

“Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission” Traveling Exhibition—Oct. 14, 2017–Sept. 2, 2019

The “Destination Moon” traveling exhibition, featuring the Apollo 11 command module Columbia, explores the origin and development of the American space program and the space race. The exhibition’s two-year national tour, organized in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, continues with its next stop in Pittsburgh at the Senator John Heinz History Center and will then move on to Seattle at The Museum of Flight for the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. “Destination Moon” 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 the exhibition are provided by FedEx.

Smithsonian Channel Programming—Summer 2019

In 2019, Smithsonian Channel will look back on one of the most important leaps forward in human history. The celebration begins with Apollo’s Moon Shot (WT), a six-hour series featuring video from the National Air and Space Museum exploring the journey from America’s first manned orbit to the last man on the moon. Then, July 20, 2019, 50 years to the day, one-hour special The Day We Walked on the Moon (WT) focuses in on the moment humanity first set foot on the moon.

First Moon Landing Celebration—July 16-20, 2019

A five-day celebration to commemorate Apollo 11 and the first moon landing will take place July 16–20, 2019, at the museum and on the National Mall. Details for this event and other Apollo commemorative events happening in 2019 will be announced at a later date.

Media interested in the commemorations should follow the museum’s media Twitter feed @airandspaceCOMM for ongoing updates on Apollo activities.

The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport. The museum building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking before 4 p.m. at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

LM 2 was built for a second unmanned Earth-orbit test flight. Because the test flight of LM 1, named Apollo 5, was so successful, a second mission was deemed unnecessary. 

Lisa Young, objects conservator at the Museum, works on Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit in the Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory.

Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander,  became the first man to step on the moon on July 21, 1969. He and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin planted the United States flag where they landed on the moon.

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Historic Apollo 11 capsule completes two-year, five-city 'Destination Moon' tour

"Columbia" is once again bound for the District of Columbia.

The spacecraft, which half a century ago flew on the first mission to land humans on the moon, is returning to its home at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC after completing a two-year, five-city tour as the centerpiece of the Smithsonian's "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" traveling exhibition.

But first, Columbia has one more destination to visit.

"After two years touring the nation as part of a traveling exhibition, the Apollo 11 command module Columbia will return home this March," the National Air and Space Museum announced on its website. "The spacecraft will be on view at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, for approximately one year until it is taken off display to be prepared for installation in the upcoming 'Destination Moon' exhibition at the museum in DC."

Related: Apollo command module never touched the moon. But it made the landing possible.

The gumdrop-shape spacecraft and the more than 20 related artifacts that accompanied it on the "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" tour finished its fifth and final run on Monday (Feb. 17) at the Cincinnati Museum Center in Ohio. Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), "Destination Moon" allowed the capsule to remain on public display through the 50th anniversary of its mission while the Air and Space Museum's building on the National Mall underwent a multi-year, still-ongoing renovation .

"The end of the 'Destination Moon' tour is bittersweet," said Kathrin Halpern, SITES project director, in a statement provided to collectSPACE. "We began with the concept of looking back to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, but also looking forward to the future. We wanted to frame the historical context, share engaging stories and highlight the tremendous efforts of hundreds of thousands of people around the country who came together to achieve this monumental goal."

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"We hope we have inspired visitors to dream and strive for their own moonshots, whatever they may be," Halpern said. "It has been an honor to work on this exhibition with so many talented and passionate individuals — a cast of hundreds — all around the country."

From centerpiece to showcase

Beginning on March 3, Columbia will be on view just outside the entrance to the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The capsule, which carried astronauts Neil Armstrong , Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon and back, will temporarily take the place of a Loon missile located behind the display of a Lockheed SR-71A "Blackbird" reconnaissance aircraft.

The command module will be displayed in the same configuration as it appeared at the center of the "Destination Moon" traveling exhibition, sitting atop a modified transport ring with a fence, rather than a case, protecting it from public contact. This will be the last opportunity to see the capsule out in the open.

"We will have the Columbia in a new case," said Michael Neufeld, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, describing the spacecraft's future exhibit in the "Destination Moon" gallery opening in early 2022. "It will not be on its ring. It will be in a new case, which will enclose it entirely, but it will be tilted up such that the hatch end is tilted down so that you can see into the cockpit."

"One of the things we couldn't do on the tour was illuminate the cockpit or really allow any view of it," Neufeld said. "But now there will be more ability to see into the cockpit."

Many of the artifacts that toured with Columbia, including a recovered injector plate from one of the Saturn V rocket engines that launched the Apollo 11 mission and one of the two storage boxes that was used to return the first moon rocks to Earth, will also go on display in the "Destination Moon" hall. They will be held at the Udvar-Hazy Center, but off of public view, until the new exhibition is ready.

The new "Destination Moon" exhibition will also include many more artifacts that were not part of the tour, including Alan Shepard's Mercury capsule and spacesuit, the Gemini 7 spacecraft and Armstrong's fully-conserved Apollo 11 spacesuit .

Tracking Columbia

The "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" traveling exhibition began on Oct. 14, 2017 at Space Center Houston , the official visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas.

From there, Columbia and its associated artifacts visited the Saint Louis Science Center in Missouri from April through September 2018 and then was on display at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania through February 2019. In April 2019, the exhibition opened at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, where it was on view for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission three months later.

The tour was originally planned to end there in Seattle, but due to changes to the National Air and Space Museum's renovation schedule, a fifth venue was added — Union Terminal at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

In total, the "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" exhibition was viewed by nearly three-quarters of a million people. In the course of reaching those audiences, the artifacts traveled approximately 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) while crossing the nation. It was only the second time that Columbia had toured the country, after NASA's 26,000-mile (42,000-km) 50 U.S. state tour in 1970 and 1971. (By comparison, Columbia traveled 953,054 miles [1,533,792 km] on its 1969 voyage to the moon and back.)

FedEx provided the transportation for the Smithsonian tour, moving 58 custom crates on two 53-foot (16-meter) tractor-trailer trucks. The Smithsonian fabricated a custom transport crate for Columbia that supported a stable temperature and relative humidity environment, mitigated transit vibration and shifting, and facilitated rigging into and out of the host museum building. The FedEx transports were also temperature controlled and had air ride suspension systems.

Click through to collectSPACE to see an artistic rendering of the Apollo 11 command module Columbia's display in the National Air and Space Museum's new "Destination Moon" exhibition opening in early 2020.

• NASA's historic Apollo 11 moon landing in pictures
• The Apollo moon landings: How they worked (infographic)
• Apollo 11 gift guide: Moon landing toys and memorabilia to celebrate

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @ collectSPACE . Copyright 2020 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.    

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Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com , an online publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018. He previously developed online content for the National Space Society and Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, helped establish the space tourism company Space Adventures and currently serves on the History Committee of the American Astronautical Society, the advisory committee for The Mars Generation and leadership board of For All Moonkind. In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History.

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Admin said: 'Columbia' is once again destined for the District of Columbia. The command module is returning to the National Air and Space Museum after a two-year, five-city tour. Historic Apollo 11 capsule completes two-year, five-city 'Destination Moon' tour : Read more

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Tuesday 26 March 2024 – Monday 7 October 2024

Standard | $15          Concession | $12.50          Junior (5 – 15) | $12.50          Junior (0 – 4) | Free          Mini Group^ | $50 

^ 2 Adults + 2 Juniors, or   1 Adult + 3 Juniors         

Members  receive a discount on ticket pricing.

Session times

Pre book your tickets early to secure your preferred session time

The Moon – mysterious, enigmatic, changing, waxing, and waning. Throughout human history, the Moon has been an object of intrigue, reverence, and curiosity.   

It has influenced cultures, driven scientific discovery, fueled imagination and inspired creativity.  

We have endeavoured to make sense of the great, celestial body that graces our nocturnal sky. From early theories about its influence on our behaviour to monumental astronomical achievements, we have always been driven by wonder and starry-eyed curiosity to discover the truths about Earth’s moon.   

Our closest celestial neighbour, 3 84,400 km from the Earth, humans first reached the Moon more than 50 years ago, marking a momentous achievement in space exploration.   

Today, the Moon once again beckons as the gateway to the Universe beyond.  

To the Moon is a multiform exhibition that delves into our enduring fascination with the Moon, interweaving lunar art, pop culture, planetary science, historical insights, and the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.       

Exhibition features

Across seven exhibition zones , To the Moon invites new engagement with, and provides new perspectives on, this enigmatic celestial body that we all see and are influenced by . 

'Museum of the Moon' - an impressive scale replication of the moon and its surface created by UK artist Luke Jerram. Measuring seven meters in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. Each centimetre of the internally lit sculpture represents 5km of the Moon’s surface, at an approximate scale of 1:1500,000*.   

The Eagle Has Landed - peek into a miniature 60’s lounge room diorama and witness Armstrong’s first steps on the moon just as 600 + million people saw the ‘nail biting’ descent of the Apollo 11 module ‘Eagle’ with only seconds left of fuel on July 20, 1969.  

Dreaming the Moon - Curated artworks by influential Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists vividly capture the intricate relationship First Nations peoples have with the moon.  

Memento Moon / In Event of Moon Disaster – View a moving multiscreen ‘mashup’ by artist Field Carr that pays homage to the moon as a muse across cinema and television. Watch a thought-provoking documentary using the latest AI to portray an alternative history of the 69 ’ moon landing.  

NASA’s Moon Rock - When you arrive at the To the Moon a real piece of the moon awaits you.  One of the last pieces of moon sample collected from the final crewed NASA Apollo 17 mission.     

Ode to the Moon - Create an ‘Ode to the Moon’ and employ the digital collage writing technique that David Bowie used to create Space Oddity.  

Lunar Lounge - Inspired by the sci fi classic 2001 A Space Odyssey, this pop-up events space, will host lunar-inspired programs, a virtual reality experience and private functions.   

Future of the Moon – See a 3D model of the Space Launch System mega rocket and Orion that successfully launched as the first mission of the visionary Artemis program that will see humans return to the moon.  

Museum of the Moon is co-commissioned by a number of creative organisations brought together by Luke Jerram and Norfolk & Norwich Festival . These include: Greenwich+Docklands International Festival,   Brighton Festival , Without Walls,   Cork Midsummer Festival , We The Curious , Lakes Alive , Provincial Domain Dommelhof, Les Tombées de la Nuit, Rennes   and Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts . The artwork has also been created in partnership with the UK Space Agency , University of Bristol and The Association for Science and Discovery Centres .

Special exhibition events

Wednesdays | 10.30am – 11am Starting Wednesday 27 March 

To the Moon: Discovery time

Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays | 3pm – 4pm Saturday 30 March – Sunday 6 October

To the Moon: Guided Tour

Fridays | 5pm – 8pm Tuesday 25 March – Monday 7 October

To the Moon: Corporate Packages

Book an exclusive reserved area and food and beverage package at the To the Moon exhibition.

Fridays | 10.30am – 11am

Starting Friday 5 April

To the Moon: Story Time

Join us for a half-hour storytime session and introduce your child to the wonder of the written and spoken word in our Origins Gallery. This session has a space theme with books chosen to ignite imaginations.

Fridays | 5.30pm - 9pm Friday 5 April - Friday 4 October

Lunar Lounge

Embark on an up-late journey into space and back in time at the Luna Lounge situated inside our latest special exhibition, To the Moon.

Mondays during school term Monday 15 April – Monday 16 September | 9.30am – 12pm

To the Moon: Under 5s play

Saturday 11 May | 10am – 4pm

Embark on a space exploration journey with the family, igniting curiosity through hands-on activities and interactive exhibits designed to engage and educate tomorrow's explorers!

Saturday 25 May | 5.30pm – 8.30pm

Night Sky: Through the Telescope

Thursday 20 June | 5pm - 6pm  4.45pm for a 5pm start

Meet the Museum: Why Humans should explore the Moon

Join Professor Gretchen Benedix from Curtin University as she explores the Moon's mysteries, discussing what we see, what we know, and why returning there is crucial.

Friday 21 June | 5.30pm - 9pm

Winter Moon Solstice

Get dressed up in your best retro-futurism looks and enjoy a music-based special edition of the Lunar Lounge featuring an eclectic mix of musical performances.

Wednesday 3 July | 8.30am  – 11am  Wednesday 25 September | 8.30am  – 11am 

To the Moon: Quiet Mornings

Enjoy the To The Moon exhibition in a comfortable environment that supports children and adults with sensory needs.

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We recognise and respect the Traditional Owners of this Country and their connection to the lands, waters and skies.

Exhibitions / Apollo: When We Went to the Moon

Apollo: When We Went to the Moon

Launch yourself behind the scenes for man’s first steps on the moon, and discover how the space race inspired generations of americans to reach for the stars..

Featuring objects and artifacts from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s archives, Apollo: When We Went to the Moon is an out-of-this-world glimpse into the cultural, technological, and political context of the moon landing and beyond.

Object & Artifact Highlights:

Apollo Command Module

Lunar Rover model Apollo 15

Lunar meteorite touchable slice

Von Braun’s drafting set

Soviet SK-1 space suit

Handcasts of Collins, Aldrin, and Armstrong

Apollo suits including gloves, bubble helmets, visors, and moon boots

Saturn V model 1:10 scale

Jupiter missile nose cone

ISS model 1:100 scale

Experience Highlights:

Rocket Men lineage touchscreen

Immersive Apollo 11 launch experience

AR moonwalk

Lunar Rover photo op

Specifications

Space required:.

7,000 - 10,000 sq. ft.

Target Audience:

Adults, families with children, school groups, space enthusiasts

Minimum Ceiling Height:

15 ft. throughout; 40 ft. to stand-up rocket

Production Time:

Ten (10) working days for installation; seven (7) for deinstallation

Three (3) 53 ft. trucks and one (1) 53 ft. climate-controlled trailer with dual-driver

Exhibition provided in American English

Tour Availability

Fall 2024 and beyond

Produced By

Apollo: When We Went to the Moon is a traveling exhibition co-produced by U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Flying Fish.

Presenting Partner:

Exhibition images, tour history and itinerary, u.s. space & rocket center.

Huntsville, AL, USA view map

February 16, 2019 – January 2, 2020

Science Museum of Minnesota

St. Paul, MN, USA view map

February 1, 2020 – May 3, 2020

July 1, 2020 – January 31, 2021

Space Center Houston

Houston, TX, USA view map

February 20, 2021 – May 2, 2021

Discovery Place

Charlotte, NC, USA view map

September 30, 2021 – January 2, 2022

Henry Ford Museum

Dearborn, MI, USA view map

February 19, 2022 – May 8, 2022

TELUS World of Science - Edmonton

Edmonton, AB, CAN view map

June 9, 2022 – September 25, 2022

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Denver, CO, USA view map

October 20, 2022 – January 22, 2023

Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Richmond, Virginia, USA view map

March 18, 2023 – December 31, 2023

Intrepid Museum

New York City, NY, USA view map

March 25, 2024 – September 2, 2024

+1 (651) 207-8877 [email protected]

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Account links, social media links, the moonwalkers: a journey with tom hanks.

About the event

Tom hanks narrates an epic experience that offers a unique new perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon., telling the stories of the apollo missions in intimate detail, the moonwalkers also provides an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions by going behind-the-scenes of the artemis programme, including interviews between hanks and artemis astronauts., lightroom’s powerful projection and audio technology will transform the immense space into a vehicle for a spectacular immersive voyage to our closest celestial neighbour..

★★★★★ “A thrill-ride into the wonder of space.”

The standard, ★★★★★ “will have your spine tingling.”, ★★★★ “a thrilling escapist educational adventure.”, the telegraph, ★★★★ “full of space-age wonder.”.

Tom Hanks co-wrote The Moonwalkers with Christopher Riley , the double BAFTA-nominated writer-director whose work includes many of the most groundbreaking films and television programmes about space for the likes of the BBC, Netflix, and PBS.

The show tells the stories of the Apollo missions, reflecting their gripping journeys at spectacular scale. Newly filmed interviews between Hanks and astronauts of the current Artemis programme will grant an insight into the return of crewed surface missions to the moon.

Hanks himself will provide the voiceover, accompanied by a spectacular original score by Anne Nikitin whose previous work includes the Apple TV+ hit series HIJACK starring Idris Elba and the cult heist movie American Animals starring Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan.

Practical Information

Ticket prices .

Adults from £25 Students & Under 18s from £15 Under 3s go free

Younger children need to be supervised in the space and we ask that parents are considerate of the experience for all our guests.

From 6 December 2023 – 13 October 2024

One complete show lasts approximately 50 mins. You are welcome to stay for longer than one show.

Audience Suitability

Suitable for all ages. More accessibility information.

One full show is approximately 52 minutes long and runs once per hour, every hour. You are welcome to stay for longer if you wish, unless you are attending the last show of the day.

We sell tickets for show slots on the hour, every hour. 

We feel that this show is best enjoyed from start to finish, so we recommend that guests arrive on time to see the entirety of the show as intended. Latecomers will be admitted until 10 minutes past the allocated slot. Any later entry is at the discretion of the Duty Manager.

Haven’t found what you’re looking for here about the venue, booking tickets or the event? Take a look at our FAQs.

The Visuals of The Moonwalkers

Original NASA footage and breath-taking images from Andy Saunders’ Apollo Remastered will transform Lightroom’s vast space into an immersive voyage to the lunar surface, brought to life by co-directors Nick Corrigan and Lysander Ashton of 59 Productions .

Over the course of the Apollo program, the twelve astronauts to set foot on the Moon captured thousands of original photographs on medium-format Hasselblad cameras. For half a century, almost every image of the Moon landings publicly available was produced from a lower-quality copy of these originals.

For Apollo Remastered Andy Saunders has, for the first time, digitally remastered images from every mission from the original film. Revealing detail that has been lost for half a century, these images offer astounding new insight and a mesmerising retrospective of humankind’s greatest adventure. In Lightroom’s vast space, these images are seen like never before – at a scale that fully immerses the viewer, transporting them to the lunar surface.

Created by Tom Hanks & Lightroom

Designed by 59 Productions

Written by Tom Hanks & Christopher Riley

Directed by Nick Corrigan & Lysander Ashton

Producer Richard Slaney

Original music composed by Anne Nikitin

Recorded by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Tom Kelly

Sound Design Tom Hackley

Executive Producer Tom Hanks

Executive Producers David Sabel Nick Starr

Collaborating Producer Andy Saunders

Assistant Producer Hope Delicata

Book tickets

For the moonwalkers - a journey with tom hanks.

NASA is giving the moon its own time zone. Why the clock is ticking.

It’s going to start getting crowded on the moon, and we’ll soon need a precise lunar timekeeping system, a shared clock , to coordinate missions and prevent disasters.

Time moves a bit faster on the moon than on Earth because the moon's mass is smaller than that of Earth and its gravity is weaker. That means the moon is going to get its own time zone .

NASA has been asked to establish a unified standard time for the moon and other celestial bodies by the end of 2026. That request came from the White House – specifically the Office of Science and Technology Policy – on April 2.

"The same clock that we have on Earth would move at a different rate on the moon ," said Kevin Coggins, NASA's space communications and navigation chief, in an interview with Reuters.

The difference is slight: 58.7 microseconds per Earth day. (A microsecond is one-millionth of a second.) Microseconds are often used as measurements in electronics, computing and telecommunication applications.

On Earth, Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC , is the standard used to set all time zones around the world. Eastern Time is four hours behind UTC.

The new lunar time zone will be known as Coordinated Lunar Time, or LTC . It's not yet determined whether the moon will have one or multiple time zones.

Why do we need precise time on the moon?

That 58.7 microseconds may not sound like much to worry about. An eye blink, for example, takes 0.1 to 0.4 seconds , or 100,000 to 400,000 microseconds.

But the time discrepancy becomes crucial in space missions, which require perfect precision for communication, tracking and navigation.

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.  

LTC is also needed for secure data transfers between spacecraft and for matched communication among Earth, lunar satellites, bases and astronauts, Reuters reported.

And because future missions will be multinational, all participants will need to be synchronized.

Nations have been using their own standard time in space missions. NASA, for example, used Mission Elapsed Time, or the amount of time from the moment of liftoff, to coordinate space missions.

Where will Coordinated Lunar Time be used?

LTC will be used in operations in cislunar space , the region around the Earth that extends to the moon and past its orbit. It includes:

• The lunar surface.
• Lunar orbits.
• Earth-moon Lagrange points.

Lagrange points are gravity balanced positions in space between two bodies – the Earth and moon, in this example – in which objects such as spacecraft can stay in position. Lagrange points are easy to reach, and many spacecraft use them to perform observations , Space.com says.

Will the moon's time system be similar to that of Earth?

It could be. Earth's UTC uses a group of 450 highly precise atomic clocks in 85 time laboratories around the world. The Office of Science and Technology Policy directive suggests "an ensemble of clocks" on the moon could be used to set up the moon's LTC.

The White House directive also says LTC must have:

• Traceability or a calculated connection to Earth's Coordinated Universal Time.
• Specificity and accuracy to measure very short spans of time, necessary for precise scientific study and spacecraft landings.
• Self-sufficiency , in case connection with Earth is lost.
• Scalability , so other celestial objects or space environments could use it.

NASA will work with the departments of Commerce, Defense, State and Transportation to create and implement the lunar time zone.

NASA also will need to consult the 36 nations that have signed the Artemis Accords , an agreement that spells out countries' activities in space and on the moon.

China and Russia, the two main U.S. rivals in space, have not signed the agreement.

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; NASA; Office of Science and Technology Policy; European Space Agency; space.com ; itu.int; Florida Today; Center for Strategic and International Studies

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Traveling Green Book Exhibit opens in Washington

Published 1:10 pm Wednesday, April 24, 2024

By Clark Curtis

The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission’s Traveling Green Book Exhibit will be on display at the Turnage Theatre beginning today, April 24, and running through May 27. “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” published between 1936 and 1966, was both a travel guide and a tool of resistance designed to confront the realities of racial discrimination in the United States and beyond. From 1939-1952 Washington had two locations listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book . Dr. Jermiah and Manilus Lloyd’s Drug Store at 408 Gladden Street and the StarLight Club at 227 Gladden Street, which were located in the area known as “Little Harlem.” Both businesses would also refer motorists to other friendly locations who elected not to be listed because of financial constraints or safety concerns. The traveling exhibit features eight vibrant panels showcasing images of business owners, travelers, and historic and present-day images of North Carolina Green Book sites. The words of African American travelers and descendants of Green Book site owners are featured prominently in the exhibit.

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Why does NASA want a time zone on the moon?

NASA has been tasked with determining a standard time zone for the moon, but it’s more complicated than you might think.

The United States government has tasked its space agency, NASA, with establishing a standard time zone for the moon, which will be known as Coordinated Lunar Time (CLT).

In a memo issued on April 2, the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) stated: “Federal agencies will develop celestial time standardisation with an initial focus on the lunar surface and missions operating in Cislunar space [the area within the moon’s orbit], with sufficient traceability to support missions to other celestial bodies.” “Traceability” means that CLT can be kept in sync with time zones on Earth.

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The memo outlined the following features for the new CLT:

• Traceability to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC – a compromise for both English and French speakers);
• Accuracy sufficient to support precision navigation and science;
• Resilience to loss of contact with Earth (meaning CLT can operate independently of Earth); and
• Scalability to space environments beyond the Earth-moon system (meaning other space stations beyond the moon would be able to use CLT as well).

Don’t expect your favourite time zone and calendar apps to have CLT as an option yet; NASA has until the end of 2026 to establish CLT.

Why does the moon need its own time zone?

In layman’s terms, we need a reliable “lunar time” earth-syncing system because lower gravity on the moon causes time to move slightly faster there than on Earth – by just 58.7 microseconds (there are 1 million microseconds in a single second) faster within every 24 Earth hours.

This is not science fiction, even though it is a main feature of Hollywood blockbusters such as Interstellar. Known as “gravitational time dilation”, the passage of time is impacted by gravity.

Although small, these time discrepancies can cause issues with syncing satellites and space stations in lunar orbit.

An unnamed OSTP official told Reuters: “Imagine if the world wasn’t syncing their clocks to the same time – how disruptive that might be and how challenging everyday things become.”

How would we tell time on the moon?

Earth uses UTC or Coordinated Universal Time to sync time zones around the world. UTC is determined by more than 400 atomic clocks that are maintained in national “time laboratories” in about 30 countries around the world. An atomic clock uses the vibrations of atoms to achieve extreme precision in keeping track of time.

Similar atomic clocks would be placed on the moon to get an accurate time reading.

Known as Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), this precision-timing system allows communications systems to measure and keep accurate timing. The Ordnance Survey, the British organisation that has been producing maps since 1791, explains that PNT has three core elements:

• Positioning – the ability to precisely determine one’s location and orientation, predominantly two dimensionally on a printed map, although three-dimensional orientation can be determined when required.
• Navigation – the ability to determine both the current and desired position (either relative or absolute), and apply corrections to course, orientation and speed to reach a desired position from anywhere in the world, from sub-surface (below the Earth’s surface) to surface, and from surface to space.
• Timing – the ability to maintain accurate and precise time from anywhere in the world.

Does NASA have plans for time zones in other parts of outer space?

Although there has been no mention of time zones on other planets, in 2019, NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) mission tested an atomic clock to improve spacecraft navigation in deep space. The DSAC mission, on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, was launched on June 22, 2019. The rocket tested the atomic clock in Earth’s orbit for one year.

Typically, spacecraft keep accurate time by bouncing signals to atomic clocks on Earth and then the signal is sent back to the spacecraft. In this mission, the on-board atomic clock was tested to keep precise time without relying on this two-way communication between the spacecraft and the atomic clocks on Earth. The accuracy of the timing is tied to getting accurate positioning, while helping the spacecraft reach the intended location in space successfully.

As NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the centre for robotic exploration of the solar system, explains: “A two-way system that sends a signal from Earth to a spacecraft, back to Earth and then to the spacecraft again would take an average of 40 minutes. Imagine if the GPS on your phone took 40 minutes to calculate your position. You might miss your turn or be several exits down the highway before it caught up with you. If humans travel to the Red Planet [Mars], it would be better if the system was one-way, allowing the explorers to immediately determine their current position rather than waiting for that information to come back from Earth.”

The mission successfully ended in 2021, with the on-board atomic clock maintaining the correct timing and navigational positioning.

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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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