Turn the clock back to July 1969 and see newspapers, collectibles, rocket models and other items celebrating the Apollo 11 mission to the moon – including a piece of the moon itself – in a special display coming to The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.
Open from July 1 through Labor Day (Sept. 2), the special Apollo 11 display will commemorate the historic moon landing on July 20, 1969, and also enhance the Aquarium’s daily presentations of the IMAX movie “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition.” Among the items to be displayed are newspapers from the day, buttons and patches, View-Master® slides, spacecraft models, NASA documents, booklets and other items relating to the infamous giant leap for mankind.
Most interestingly, the collection includes a book autographed by Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, as well as a small piece of the moon: part of a lunar meteorite found on Earth.
There’s no extra charge for Aquarium guests to view the display in the IMAX Theater lobby. (It also can be viewed for free by entering through the IMAX Theater entrance.)
The display ties perfectly with the IMAX movie “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition,” which lets audiences relive the wonder and drama of the first mission to land men on the moon, presented daily on The Maritime Aquarium’s six-story screen – the largest IMAX Theater in Connecticut.
With never-before-seen 70mm footage and newly discovered audio recordings, director-editor Todd Douglas Miller reconstructs the Apollo 11 mission in seat-gripping detail: the final preparations, countdown, liftoff, moon landing and splashdown return. The movie has no narration; for its 47 minutes, audiences follow the mission just as the entire world watched it unfold during those incredible eight days in 1969.
Show times through June 30 are 1 & 3 p.m. on Saturdays & Sundays, and 2 & 4 p.m. on weekdays. From July 1 to Labor Day, show times will be 1 & 4 p.m. daily, with one exception: on Sat., July 20 (the actual 50th anniversary of the moon landing), “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition” will be the only film to play in the IMAX Theater.
Here’s the film’s trailer: youtu.be/hmzKBk2pQQo
An IMAX movie is included with Aquarium admission: $24.95 for adults, $22.95 for seniors (65+), and $17.95 for children (3-12).
July 16: “Apollo 11” Screening & Moon Viewing
Re-live the first moon landing and get a close look at July’s full moon in a special evening astronomy event at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.
On Tues., July 16 – the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 – the Aquarium is offering a special evening screening of “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition” at 8 p.m.
Following the 47-minute film, weather permitting, audience members are invited out to the Aquarium’s riverfront courtyard for a moon viewing led by the astronomy team of New Pond Farm in Redding. Peer through telescopes as July’s full moon rises in the eastern sky. See if you can find the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 touched down four days after its launch.
Tickets for the July 16 evening movie and astronomy event are $15 for adults, $12.50 for seniors (65+), and $10 for children (3-12). Aquarium admission is not included.
Get tickets and more details about “Apollo 11: First Steps Edition” and the special offerings relating to the movie at maritimeaquarium.org.