It’s been 44 years since Neil Armstrong made history by setting foot on lunar soil. To celebrate the anniversary of this event, the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs has created a special week of family-friendly activities called “One Giant Leap” July 16-20.

The Discovery Center will feature special exhibits focused on the Apollo 11 mission, plus fun, educational activities for the entire family.

The Space Foundation Discovery Center is the region’s only space, science and technology attraction, and is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. The Discovery Center is located at 4425 Arrowswest Dr., off of Garden of the Gods Rd., west of Centennial Blvd.
Daily admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors (age 65+), $7 for college students with I.D., $3 for children ages 4-17. Children age three years and younger are admitted free. Admission is free with military I.D., to those impacted by Colorado wildfires and to first responders.

“One Giant Leap” Activities and Exhibits July 16-20

In addition to the Discovery Center’s usual space exhibits, see a new collection of artifacts from 1969 celebrating the first humans on the moon, plus items on loan from a private collector in Denver. New to the Discovery Center is NASA’s first visiting exhibit, “Space Shuttle: Conquering Low Earth Orbit.”

Wednesday, July 17, 2:00 p.m.

Enjoy an afternoon matinee of the G-rated Disney film “Space Buddies,” included in the price of admission. Children must be accompanied by an adult; maximum attendance is 50.

Friday, July 19, 5:30 p.m., Happy Hour and Lecture by Marlowe Cassetti

Adults are invited to a guest lecture by former aeronautical research engineer and NASA team member Marlowe Cassetti. The evening begins with a wine and beer reception, featuring a new beer brewed exclusively for this event by Stephen Shelton. Discovery Center admission, the reception and lecture are included in the $15 price for the evening.

Cassetti will share his insights and experiences as a former aeronautical research engineer with NACA (later to become NASA), working first at the Langley Research Center and later with the group that formed NASA/Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston. He held engineering and management positions in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, and later with the Skylab and Space Shuttle programs. Post-NASA, Cassetti worked for McDonnell Douglas and The Boeing Company in Colorado Springs.

Saturday, July 20, “One Giant Leap” Family Day activities:

* Free astronaut or space-themed rubber duckies for the first 100 children
* Apollo 11 scavenger hunt in the Discovery Center to win a mood pencil
* In-depth Science On a Sphere(R) presentations
* We Choose the Moon – an interactive program which takes you to the Apollo 11 mission in near real-time
* Moon Phases Flip Book activity at 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
* Oreo Moon Phases activity at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
* Fun activities for the family to enjoy together while learning about Apollo 11 and basic space-STEM principles
* Moon walk bounce house for children up to age 10
* Lunch available from food vendors – Pig Latin food truck and The Springs Cupcake Truck

About the Space Foundation Discovery Center and the Summer of Discovery

The Space Foundation Discovery Center is a collection point for Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado. The public may bring food donations to the Space Foundation Discovery Center between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. Anyone bringing a food donation will receive a $2 off admission coupon to the Discovery Center.
Find $1 off admission coupons online at www.spacefoundation.org/summer-fun and at local Wendy’s this summer. Summer of Discovery co-sponsors are 501st Legion, Drive SunShine Institute, ScienSonic and Wendy’s. ATK and Snappy Print are printing co-sponsors.

Other Summer of Discovery themes at the Space Foundation Discovery Center are:

* “Women in Spaceflight” July 23-27
* “Colorado Days” July 30-Aug. 3
* “A Taste of Space Technology” Aug. 6-10

For more information, call the Space Foundation Discovery Center at 719.576.8000.

About the Space Foundation

The foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry and an expert in all aspects of space, the Space Foundation is a global, nonprofit leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom and major industry events, including the annual Space Symposium, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable and propel humanity.” The Space Foundation publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indexes that track daily U.S. stock market performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification(TM) and Space Technology Hall of Fame(R) programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. The Space Foundation was founded in 1983 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colo. Its world headquarters features a public Discovery Center with two main areas – the El Pomar Space Gallery and the Northrop Grumman Science Center featuring Science On a Sphere(R). The Space Foundation also conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has a field office in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.