“FLY ME TO THE MOON: An Evening with Legends, Honoring Apollo 11 and BUZZ ALDRIN,” Set For July 20 at the San Diego Air & Space Museum

“FLY ME TO THE MOON” will be the only in-person celebration in the world of the 55th Anniversary of Mankind’s First Historic Moon Landing!

“FLY ME TO THE MOON” will be the only in-person celebration in the world of the 55th Anniversary of Mankind’s First Historic Moon Landing!

San Diego, CA – “FLY ME TO THE MOON: An Evening with Legends, Honoring Apollo 11 and BUZZ ALDRIN,” the only in-person 55th anniversary in the world of mankind’s historic first moon landing, is set for Saturday July 20, 2024 at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, President & CEO Jim Kidrick announced today.

“The Apollo 11 Moon landing on July 20, 1969 marked one of the truly historic moments in mankind’s ongoing exploration of not only planet Earth but also of our universe,” said Jim Kidrick, President & CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “Being able to hear in-person from the American legends who were there – original Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 16 Moonwalker and Apollo 11 CAPCOM Charlie Duke, and Legacy Apollo Flight Director Gerry Griffin – is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The International Air & Space Hall of Fame and the San Diego Air & Space Museum are thrilled and honored to host this special evening which will create lifelong memories.”

Featured Planned VIPs:
Buzz Aldrin, Original Moonwalker and Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot
Charlie Duke, Apollo 16 Moonwalker and Apollo 10 and 11 CAPCOM
Gerry Griffin, Legacy Flight Director for 100% of the Apollo Missions and Apollo 11 Gold Team leader

Be there for the last chance to hear IN-PERSON from America’s Heroes, the people who were there for one of History’s Finest Moments!

“FLY ME TO THE MOON” is hosted by the International Air & Space Hall of Fame and the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

Click here to register today: http://sandiegoairandspace.org/legends

Buzz Aldrin
Apollo 11 Moonwalker Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin flew 66 combat missions in the Korean War and is credited with two confirmed victories. He entered the space program in the Air Force Space Systems Division where he was selected for astronaut training. Aldrin’s first space flight was on the November 11, 1966 Gemini XII mission where he performed a rendezvous with a previously launched satellite and spent a record five and a half hours outside the spacecraft performing extravehicular activities (EVAs). As part of the historic July 16-24, 1969 Apollo XI first Moon landing mission, he became the second man to walk on the Moon when he followed Neil Armstrong to the surface on July 20, spending two hours and 15 minutes collecting surface samples and deploying experiments. He piloted the Eagle back into space to rendezvous with the parent Apollo spacecraft Columbia for return to Earth. Aldrin was inducted into the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 1971.

Charlie Duke
In April 1972, Charlie Duke became one of just 12 men to ever set foot on the lunar surface and the tenth man to walk on the Moon as part of Apollo 16. He remains the youngest man to walk on the Moon at 36 years and 201 days. In July 1969, Duke was the CAPCOM in mission control for Apollo 11’s historic first Moon landing. After Neil Armstrong famously said “Houston, the Eagle has landed,” Duke’s first words to the Apollo 11 crew on the surface of the Moon were slightly fumbled, “Roger, Twank ...Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We’re breathing again. Thanks a lot!” Duke was backup lunar module pilot on Apollo 13. Shortly before the mission, he caught German measles from a friend’s child and unknowingly exposed the prime crew to the disease. As Ken Mattingly had no immunity to the disease, he was replaced as command module pilot by Jack Swigert. Mattingly was reassigned as command module pilot of Duke’s flight, Apollo 16. On this mission, Duke and John Young landed at the Descartes Highlands, and conducted three extravehicular activities (EVAs). Duke was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 2023.

Gerry Griffin
Gerald D. Griffin served as a flight director during the Apollo program and director of Johnson Space Center, succeeding Chris Kraft in 1982. In 1964 Griffin joined NASA in Houston as a flight controller in Mission Control, specializing in guidance, navigation and control systems during Project Gemini. In 1968 he was named a Mission Control flight director and served in that role for all of the Apollo Program crewed missions, including all nine crewed missions to the Moon, six of which included lunar landings. Griffin’s “Gold” team conducted half of the lunar landings made during Apollo: Apollos 14, 15, 16, and 17. His team was scheduled to conduct the landing of Apollo 13, but when the landing was cancelled as a result of the oxygen tank explosion, his team played a key role in the safe return of the astronauts. Griffin and his fellow NASA Mission Control Flight Directors were inducted into the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 2013.

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The San Diego Air & Space Museum is California’s official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum was voted the top Aviation Museum in California and one of the “10 Best Aviation Museum’s Around the U.S.” The Museum also is home to the prestigious International Air & Space Hall of Fame. The Museum is located at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Museum and gift store are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with admissions until 4:30 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.