Preparations are underway at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in D.C. to mark this summer’s anniversary of the first moon landing.
The museum will have five days of special events beginning on July 16, exactly 50 years to the day that Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were propelled by a Saturn 5 rocket on a path to the moon.
The festivities will run through July 20 — the date that Armstrong and Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.
Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit will be put on display July 16 for the first time in 13 years.
On July 19, visitors to the museum will be able to interact with museum scientists to learn about the moon and lunar exploration. In one of the events, people will be able to “retrace” Armstrong’s and Aldrin’s footsteps by visiting information stations that approximate the equivalent distance that the astronauts walked.
Scientists and historians will help explain photos and maps.
On Saturday, July 20 the museum will host a special celebration at 10:56 p.m., the exact time 50 years ago, when the first steps were taken on the moon. The museum will remain open until 2 a.m.