The Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond is helping highlight one of humanity’s greatest achievements with special activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first manned landing on the moon.
“The Earth and moon are intimately connected, and life on Earth wouldn’t be the same if the moon didn’t exist,” said Museum Astronomer Justin Bartel. “Any excuse we have to tip our hat to the moon is a good thing. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of astronauts walking on the moon is a powerful reminder of the heights science can reach.”
For the week leading up to the anniversary—Monday, July 15, to Saturday, July 20—the Museum’s labs, exhibit activities and demos will be space related. The Museum will also display several space-related artifacts from its collections in honor of this historic anniversary. In addition, guests can explore the cosmos in the Dome theater, the largest and most technically advanced screen in the state, or marvel at the moon rock, a fragment of the 6.5-pound piece of high-titanium basalt brought back by astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission that is on display daily.
The Museum is also hosting special events on July 19 and 20 (details below).
Science After Dark: Moon Landing
On Friday, July 19, from 5 to 9 p.m., the Museum is hosting Science After Dark: Moon Landing. Guests can celebrate mankind’s “giant leap” by getting creative with hands-on moon-themed activities, including green screen photos on the moon, Friendship 7 parachutes and more. In addition, the Community Idea Stations will be on site to help guests make a straw rocket launched with a puff of air. Younger guests can enjoy free episodes of the PBS Kids series, “Ready Jet Go!” shown throughout the night.
The Dome will feature two live astronomy shows at 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. The Community Idea Stations will help guests experience the “space race” to the moon with a free showing of one episode of the PBS documentary, “Chasing the Moon,” at 8 p.m. For all the programs in the Dome, seating is first come, first served and limited to the first 250 guests.
When the sun goes down, guests may step outside to stargaze through telescopes with the Richmond Astronomical Society on the Museum’s front lawn, weather permitting.
Science After Dark admission is $10 for the general public. Museum members and children two and under are admitted free. The Museum offers discounts for military, teachers, college students and EBT cardholders. Admission includes all exhibits and event programming.
Guests interested in exploring “Pompeii: The Immortal City,” featuring more than 110 ancient Roman objects, can add a ticket to the special touring exhibition for an additional $10. Tickets for the Pompeii exhibition are $7 for Museum members.
Moon Landing Anniversary
Science lovers across Central Virginia can celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing at the Museum on Saturday, July 20.
Throughout the day, guests can participate in space-themed hands-on activities, including building a claw grabber like astronauts used to collect moon rocks, designing a moon phase flipbook, snapping green screen photos on the moon, learning about food preservation and recipes for space travel and more.
The Museum will show the new astronomy show “Imagine the Moon” in the Dome at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. On this day only, those shows are included free with Museum admission.
To cap off the celebration, at 4 p.m. there is a special showing of the 1995 movie “Apollo 13” (PG) on the 76-foot Dome screen. A Dome ticket is required to see the film.
Museum admission is $15 for adults, $13.50 for youth and seniors and $10 for preschoolers between the ages of 3 and 5. Museum members and children two and under are admitted free. The Museum offers discounts for military, teachers and EBT cardholders. Tickets for the feature film are an additional $4.
Guests can add “Pompeii: The Immortal City” to their visit for $10 for the general public and $7 for Museum members.
