NASA to talk about the Apollo legacy

WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency is inviting the public to a discussion marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, which took humans to the moon.

The roundtable discussion -- "Apollo: History and Legacy" -- will be held Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m. EDT in the James Webb Memorial Auditorium at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's headquarters in Washington.

Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the moon, was launched July 16, 1969. On July 20, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. became the first humans to walk on the moon.

The discussion will begin with remarks by NASA Acting Administrator Christopher Scolese. NASA Chief Historian Steven Dick will moderate the discussion.

Panelists will be:

-- Cristina Guidi, deputy director of NASA's Constellation Systems Division.

-- Roger Launius, senior curator of space history at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum

-- John Logsdon, chairman of space history at the National Air and Space Museum.

-- Craig Nelson, author of "Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon"

-- Michael Neufeld, chairman of the division of space history at the National Air and Space Museum and author of "Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War"

The discussion will be broadcast live online by NASA TV. Streaming video, downlink and schedule information is available at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.