Apollo 50 Festival: Washington celebrates the moon landing

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At the Festival space can learn-Enthusiastic for three days on the moon, Mars, and milky way. Astronauts from LEGO bricks, is up to NASA-robot-gripper arms – the visitors properly what is on offer.

On the National Mall in Washington, D.C., people usually come to political events. Here are the spectators who want to watch the inauguration of the new US President, or Donald trump’s Celebration on the independence day are. But this week the Mall for three days in the sign of the moon. Until Saturday, the pavilions of the Apollo 50 Festivals dot the Lawn behind the National Air and Space Museum.

In one of the pavilions, the dome-shaped Earth Dome, may try to children and young people in a Quiz about the earth and the moon or the earth as a Puzzle to put together. Sponsored by the Earth Dome, like most of the other 22 pavilions, of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“Many of the projects of NASA are represented here at the Festival,” says NASA spokeswoman Katherine Brown. “All research areas are represented.”

The Festival takes place on the Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capitol

Multi-Day Moon Party

The Festival is part of the festivities, with which the National Air and Space Museum celebrates the moon landing of the Apollo 11 Crew on July 20, 1969. The Museum, which belongs to the Smithsonian Institution and one of the most popular attractions in Washington is on the occasion of the 50 anniversary of the moon landing, including Neil Armstrong’s space suit and a replica of the command Station of the Apollo 11 space ship, the Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon brought. And on Saturday the 20. July, can you track a 22:30 the original transmission of the moon landing of 1969.

Until the great Moment has come, may distribute space Enthusiasts, the time at the Festival in front of the gates of the Museum. The sultry summer weather in Washington – around 33 degrees Celsius and high humidity on Thursday morning any longer stay in the Free to an effort. But the enthusiasm of the visitors does not detract.

More to the landing on the moon: 50 years Ago: The space race to the moon

How does it feel to be a Mars Rover get run over? Children can try it.

Enthusiasm for space travel inspire

In the “Meet Mars Rover”-tent of the 10-year-old Ege is located on the ground and the model of a Mars Rover over the top roles. More excited children queue up to have also “run over”. On the question of whether it hurt, the Boy says “a little bit. But it was cool!” The Rover experience, like ESU, who is from Istanbul when his step-mother Deirdre to visit, the best so far, and stones beats even a life-sized astronaut made from LEGO.

Also Deirdre is glad to be in spite of the heat of the Festival came. “It inspired me, again, about our space program to think about,” says the 46-Year-old. “The children are not talking just about space as we had at the time. The enthusiasm is so great.”

To control mind is also a goal of the Apollo 50 Festivals. Children and young people can try out a lot of NASA technology, for example, a robot arm, and Comic characters like Snoopy are available in NASA uniforms for photos. In front of the Lego astronaut, a line has formed. It is reminiscent of waiting parents who wish to photograph their child on the Lap of a Department store Santa Claus.

More on this: ARD-witness to history: The NASA did when Apollo 11 will always be done in public

A crowd favorite: The Astronaut from LEGO bricks.

Ice measurements from space

The scientists and engineers in the pavilion are delighted to be able to their Knowledge to the next Generation, without any political discussions. “This is a great event here, because finally there is nothing controversial,” says Debra Hernandez of the NASA’s Earth Science Division. “It’s just fun and you learn something!”

In the Erdkuppel-in front of tent, Christopher Shuman, and Valerie Casasanto from the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology two satellite projects. For ICESat, a satellite from space shoots laser rays on the earth and measures, for example, the height and the diameter of the ice mass in the Antarctic. In the context of the Grace FO Mission will measure the twin satellites, in the extent to which water masses the gravitational forces of the earth influence. Thus, the researchers can determine how much the melting of the ice in different places of the earth progresses.

More: people on the moon – is it worth it?

Size comparison: Casa Santo and Shuman with plastic ice cubes and the model of the Empire State Building.

“I want to tell with our satellite images of the stories, so people can understand where the ice melt faster and where the Situation is dramatic,” says Shuman. Exactly you can see on the Model that he presented at his Stand.

A giant cube, in addition to the scale effect true to model of the Empire State Building is tiny, the symbol of a Gigaton of ice. Of which Greenland loses, especially every year a lot of. The plastic representation in the Erdpavillon is more insistent, than any table could ever be.

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