Looking to get into something fun and educational to start the new year off right? Cincinnati Museum Center’s latest special exhibit Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission is absolutely out of this world.
This exhibit places visitors in the same space as the monumental and historically significant Columbia command module … this is the amazing, lone surviving portion of the Apollo 11 spacecraft. Also on display are amazing artifacts like Buzz Aldrin’s gold-plated extravehicular helmet visor and thermal-insulated gloves, a rucksack survival kit, a moon rock collection box and more. These items all made the 953,000-mile journey moon. Simply stellar!
While the artifacts are amazing, so is the storytelling throughout the exhibit. Learn more about the figures who made this lunar milestone possible, the science behind it and more. This exhibit encourages lots of great conversations!
-Imagine (or recollect) what it was like to watch the Apollo 11 launch … tap into the feelings of the nation, the astronauts and their families as Kennedy Launch control counted down 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … all engine running … Lift off! We have liftoff!
-Place yourself in the astronauts shoes; after a bumpy landing on the moon’s surface, the astronauts had trouble sleeping in the Columbia. It was cramped, it was bright and it was uncomfortable; but think about it! Who could fall asleep right after landing on the moon? The suspense would be so energizing!
-Find yourself inspired by the famous words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Would you visit the moon if given the opportunity?
-Learn about life in space and even discover what happened if an astronaut had a stomach ache during their mission.
-And what happened after Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins came back to Earth?
There are so many amazing opportunities to learn and to WONDER about the vastness that is space during this exhibit. Take the time to read, to discuss and to be amazed by our galaxy.
I recently had a chance to visit Destination Moon with my 8 year old son and we absolutely loved the exhibit! We learned about the great space race and also modern advances to learning more about the moon. We truly gained a great appreciation for the bravery of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins. Neither of us can imagine a journey into the unknown, where no one else had ever ventured. Our curiosities were piqued and our sense of adventures awakened!
If you would like to experience Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission at Cincinnati Museum Center (1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati), you have until February 17! Visit cincymuseum.org/destination-moon to find out more.
