June 28, 2019
For Immediate Release
United States Embassy in Ottawa Commemorates 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
OTTAWA – The United States Embassy in Ottawa will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing with out-of-this-world visual displays featuring iconic images from space on the Embassy’s exterior.
The displays will include a light show projection of two iconic images from space onto the North and South faces of the Embassy. The North side (St. Patrick Street) projection will feature an image of the Canadarm and the South side (York Street) will feature Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. The projections will launch this evening and will run from sundown until 1 a.m. every day until August 2. The second display, a photography exhibit that depicts our journey to the moon, is now available for public viewing on Sussex Avenue and Mackenzie Avenue.
“The Apollo Program inspired humankind to dream the impossible”, said U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft. “As we mark this historic achievement, we also celebrate a new era of U.S.-Canada space exploration, with Canada becoming NASA’s first international partner to join the Lunar Gateway Program. Canada’s expertise, including its talent in robotics and artificial intelligence, will be critical as we work together to reach the next great frontier.”
The Apollo Program, using Montreal-manufactured landing gear, successfully landed a dozen Americans on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972. Since then, the Moon has remained of great interest to NASA and scientists around the world. In recent years, NASA has sent more than 500 Apollo lunar samples to the global science community, including Canada, for ongoing analysis. With the signing of Space Policy Directive-1 in 2017, President Donald J. Trump refocused NASA to work with international and commercial partners to return to the Moon, with an eye to eventually going to Mars and beyond.
Stay tuned for more exciting space programming from U.S. Embassy Ottawa and its local partner, the Canadian Museum of Nature, including the unveiling the Goodwill Moon Rock at Nature Nocturne tonight!
