CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, celebrated on July 20, was highlighted by a full moon and a series of commemorative events honoring Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.
In San Diego, Aldrin, 94, the last surviving Apollo 11 astronaut, headlined a gala at the Air and Space Museum. Astronaut Charlie Duke, who served as the voice inside Mission Control during the historic landing, joined Aldrin for the occasion. Museum President Jim Kidrick expressed the significance of the event, stating, “55 years to the day of one of the most historic moments in not only the history of America but in the history of the world.”
For those unable to attend the San Diego gala or visit Cape Canaveral and Houston, other celebrations included the film “Fly Me to the Moon,” starring Scarlett Johansson, which provided a light-hearted retrospective on the mission. Additionally, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum offered a special website dedicated to Apollo 11.
The Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral hosted a moon fest, celebrating just a few miles from where the Saturn V rocket launched the Apollo 11 mission. Houston’s Johnson Space Center also joined the festivities. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin made history by landing on the Moon’s Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong’s iconic words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed,” were commemorated by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who reflected, “No moment united the country quite like when the Eagle landed, as all of planet Earth watched from below.”
Armstrong’s famous declaration, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” was celebrated at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio. The museum held “Run to the Moon” races, model rocket launches, and wind tunnel demonstrations. The John and Annie Glenn Museum, located 150 miles away, also opened its doors for visitors.
Aldrin’s remark, “Magnificent desolation,” upon stepping onto the lunar surface was remembered, and Armstrong’s spacesuit, restored for the 50th anniversary in 2019, was on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The collection also featured the Apollo 11 return capsule, while Aldrin’s and Collins’ suits were in storage.
The Apollo 11 capsule, named Columbia, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. It was recovered by the USS Hornet, now a museum in Alameda, California, which hosted a splashdown party with some original recovery crew members.
Looking ahead, NASA’s Artemis program aims to send astronauts around the Moon next year. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, arrived at Kennedy Space Center in July and is scheduled for its inaugural flight in September 2025. This mission will pave the way for future moon landings, with the first crewed lunar landing expected no earlier than 2026.
