Tuesday will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission that landed the first astronauts on the moon, and Penn State will be celebrating with a launch of its own.
The model rocket launch on Tuesday morning at the Ag Progress Days Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs will support an attempt by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center to break the Guinness World Record for most model rockets launched simultaneously.
At 9:32 a.m., the time of Apollo 11’s liftoff on July 16, 1969, 24 model rockets will be launched. Starting at 10:30 a.m., community members will be able to launch their own rockets. The first 50 children between the ages of 7-13 to sign in will receive a rocket kit to assemble and launch under supervision and 3-D printed rockets will be available for younger children to decorate.
From 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Pasto Agricultural Museum will have a ‘Food on the Go’ program with hands-on activities exploring the history of food and travel, from Vikings to astronauts. Visitors will be able to sample freeze-dried food taken by astronauts on space missions, among other activities. Space-themed entertainment and STEM exhibits and demonstrations also will be included as part of the event.
Departments in Penn State’s colleges of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, and Agricultural Sciences, along with the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, are coordinating the family-friendly event.
