Updated: July 20, 2019 at 2:56 PM
Apollo 11 tribute features projections onto Washington Monument (42 images)
The Washington Monument was turned into a 555-foot-tall movie screen Friday night celebrating 50 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing on Saturday. It included a true-to-size, 363-foot-tall Saturn V rocket. The 17-minute show was projected onto the monument three times Friday night. Three more showings Saturday are scheduled for 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. A crowd that had gathered on the National Mall cheered and applauded when it was shown firing its engines and launching. The crowd also saw various stages of the rocket separating, the lunar landing itself and the crew’s splashdown back on Earth. The event was conceived and commissioned by the National Air and Space Museum and includes re-creations and archival footage.
Saturn V with Apollo 11 is displayed on the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. shortly before midnight Friday. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of NASA's Moon Landing on July 20, 1969, the Smithsonian recreated the launch, landing and return of Apollo 11 on the National Mall using the Washington Monument and large screens.Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were aboard Apollo 11 with Armstrong and Aldrin walking on the moon on July 20, 1969. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
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Saturn V with Apollo 11 is displayed on the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., shortly before midnight Friday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
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The clock says T minus one second as Saturn V with Apollo 11 is displayed on the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., shortly before midnight Friday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
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Saturn V with Apollo 11 is launched as it is displayed on the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., shortly before midnight Friday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
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