It’s been half a century since Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon.
The Apollo 11 program was the only time the U.S. put astronauts on the surface of another planet.
Armstrong is one of just 12 people in all of human history to do so. But NASA is using the 50th anniversary to promote it’s new project, called Artemis.
"The goal is to land the first woman and other astronauts on the moon by the year 2024, to rebuild our skills in traveling to another celestial body. And then from a small station in lunar orbit, we would hopefully be able to go from there onward to Mars," said Peoria Riverfront Museum planetarium director Renae Kerrigan.
She said the first year of the Artemis program has already been funded, but it will require additional dollars to come to fruition.
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is hosting a number of events in celebration this week.
“A lot of people are reliving their memories of watching the moon landing, or trying to introduce the feeling of that space race and the space era to their children and grandchildren, who may not have been alive to see the moon landing happening in real time," Kerrigan said.
A film,“To the Moon and Beyond," plays at 3:30 p.m. every day. Families can participate in an astronaut training day from 11 to 2 on Saturday. In the evening, there’s a 21-plus event called "One Small Step, One Giant Party" under the dome from 7-10 p.m.
Click here for much more information on celebrations of the moon landing this week here in Peoria.
Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU. 9(MDIwMjIxMDA0MDE0Mzk4NDIzNjA0OGQ5Yg001))
