Astronaut to Speak at Moon Landing Event

KILL DEVIL HILLS — As part of the Wright Brothers National Memorial’s July 18-21 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing, visitors can meet active NASA Astronaut Eric A. Boe.

The retired U.S. Air Force colonel will give a special “Ask an Astronaut” program at 2 p.m. July 20, followed at 5 p.m. with a public meet-and-greet before speaking at the evening’s feature event, the recreation of a viewing party held at the visitor center on July 20, 1969.

The a viewing party on the grounds is from 7-9 p.m., where the original news footage of the first lunar landing will be rebroadcast. There will be no entry fee July 20 and the park will be open until 9 p.m.

Boe was selected in 2000 as an astronaut, and served as pilot for the space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery.

Boe and his crewmates are currently working closely with Boeing to develop their new spacecraft systems, which will provide crew transportation services to the International Space Station and return the ability to launch humans into space from United States soil. First Flight Foundation helped make Boe’s visit to the Outer Banks possible.

Celebration Schedule

July 18

• 6:30 p.m.:  Apollo 11 activities at Dowdy Park with hands-on learning for children.
• 8 p.m.: The “Apollo 11” documentary will be shown at Dowdy Park in Nags Head. This free event is supported by the First Flight Foundation.

July 19

• 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 4 p.m: Sand Dunes & Moon Dust ranger program. Learn about the events leading to the first powered flight in 1903 and its similarities to the Apollo 11 mission.
• 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Wright Stuff. Explore the legacy of the Wright Brothers from Kitty Hawk to Tranquility Base with a park ranger.

July 20

• 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.: Sand Dunes & Moon Dust ranger program.
• 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Planet Walk. Join a park ranger to walk a scale model of the solar system on the grounds of the memorial. Learn about distant planets and how they relate to each other.
• Noon: “Apollo 11, Final Chapter in the Space Race.” Explore the events leading up to the historic mission of Apollo 11, and learn how the mission progressed to safely land man on the moon and return to Earth.
• 2 p.m.: Ask an Astronaut. Boe will give a short presentation on his experiences in space and lead a question and answer session with the audience.
• 3 p.m.: The Wright Stuff ranger program.
• 5 p.m.: Meet and Greet with NASA Astronaut Eric Boe
• 7 p.m. Boe and a representative from NASA Langley Research Center, will discuss spaceflight, the legacy of the Wright Brothers, and the newest NASA initiatives to return man to the moon and beyond.
• 8:10 p.m. Walter Cronkite footage of the moon landing. Rebroadcast of the moon landing news coverage will begin just after 8 p.m. and conclude around 8:45 p.m.

July 21

• 10 a.m., 11 a.m. noon and 4 p.m.: Sand Dunes & Moon Dust ranger program.
• 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.: The Wright Stuff ranger program.