We heard about the Apollo 11 Tribute on the radio as we drove to work Friday. The idea of watching a show projected on the Washington Monument sounded like a perfect activity. Let’s go…
It’s been 50 years since the July 16, 1969 Apollo 11 launched for the moon. Tonight, July 19, 2019, we are in Washington DC ready to watch the show celebrating the flight. The National Mall was crowded with people ready to watch the show projected onto the Washington Monument.
There are three shows tonight and tomorrow at 9:30 pm, 10:30 pm and 11:30 pm. Each show is 17 minutes long. Thirty minutes before each show, the full sized 363 foot tall Saturn V rocket will be projected on the very tall 555 foot monument.
We are sitting maybe 100 yards from the Washington Monument and the rocket looks unbelievable real. We didn’t think it would be so clear and detailed. Amazing!!
Unfortunately for us, when the show started we couldn’t hear the show. We were too close to the monument and too far from the show but the video on the monument was spectacular.
The video showed the various stages of the rocket being built, launching, rocket separation, reaching space, landing on the moon and eventually arriving back home.
Because we couldn’t hear the show, we decided to watch the 10:30 show so we could see the screens that will show original footage from the flight.
T-5 – when the rocket’s engines ignite and the rocket comes to life, the crowd went wild cheering, clapping and yelling in approval. It was like watching the real thing!
What a great night!
We are so glad we came to experience the Apollo 11 Tribute. This was truly a spectacular evening watching history in our nation’s capital.
Fun Fact
We didn’t realize but three men flew on this flight to the moon, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr, and Michael Collins. Only Neil and Buzz landed the lunar module Eagle on the moon while Michael stayed behind to control the command module Columbia. Neil and Buzz were on the moon for nearly 22 hours before rejoining Michael and heading back to Earth.
