1. Contact: Sarah Beck
(312) 542-2424
sbeck@adlerplanetarium.org
Pat Kremer
Big Splash PR
(312) 523-9357
pkremer@bigsplashpr.com
ADLER PLANETARIUM COMMEMORATES 40TH
ANNIVERSARY OF APOLLO 11
WITH MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION
JULY 1 – 31, 2009
FREE COMMEMORATIVE POSTERS, ACTIVITIES SPECIAL EVENTS AND MORE!
Don’t Miss The Moon Landing Celebration on July 20 With Free Nighttime Observing
Chicago, IL (June 18, 2009) – The Adler Planetarium will commemorate the 40th
anniversary of
Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the Moon, during One Small Step: Apollo 11 40th
Anniversary (July 1 – July 31, 2009). Visitors can experience daily hands-on activities, a weekly
commemorative poster giveaway and a FREE drawing to win Adler prizes, including Adler family
memberships. To kick-off the celebration, the first 50 visitors on Wednesday, July 1 will receive a
FREE replica Apollo 11 mission patch. On Monday, July 20, the 40th
anniversary of the Moon
landing, the Adler will stay open until 10 p.m. for a FREE evening observing event.
Crew members Mission Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and
Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin took off on the nine-day Apollo 11 mission on July 16, 1969.
On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Apollo 11
returned to Earth and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
What you can see and do at the Adler during the month-long celebration (July 1 – 31):
Receive FREE giveaways
• Receive a FREE commemorative Apollo 11 poster with paid museum admission (while
supplies last). Each week, a different Apollo 11 image will be featured. Collect all five!
• Enter a FREE daily drawing to win Adler prizes, including one of 11 Adler family
memberships
Observe the Sun Safely
• View the Sun safely through the Adler’s special solar telescopes everyday on the
Telescope Terrace from 1 – 3 p.m. (weather permitting)
• Tour the Adler’s Doane Observatory, home of Chicago’s largest telescope, and take a
peek at the Sun through the Doane’s special solar telescope every Tuesday from 1 – 3
p.m. (weather permitting)
-more-

2. Page Two – Adler Celebrates Apollo 11 40th
Anniversary
Explore the Shoot for the Moon Exhibition
The Shoot for the Moon exhibition highlights the exciting stories of space exploration – including the
Apollo missions – and America's bold plans to return to the Moon in the year 2020.
• Check out NASA footage from the Apollo 11 mission, including the historic Moon landing,
which will be on display in Shoot for the Moon.
• Explore the surface of the Moon using the new, interactive Moon Wall, a screen 13 feet
wide and 6 feet tall displaying the latest lunar images. Choose to serve as navigator and
use a joystick to fly over a 3-D model of the Moon. Or, serve as an investigator, and
capture high-resolution images from the surface of the Moon
• Write a personalized message to the Apollo 11 crew in the Thank You Books located in
the Shoot for the Moon exhibition. The books will be sent to NASA and shared with the
Apollo 11 astronauts following the month-long celebration.
See the 3-D Fly Me to the Moon Space Show
Fly Me to the Moon returns to the Adler! The animated 3-D space show traces the journey of three
starry-eyed bugs who stow away on the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon.
Travel to the Moon with Elmo in the One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure Planetarium
Show
One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure is an original planetarium show based on the popular
children’s show Sesame Street. Join your favorite friends Big Bird, Elmo and their friend from China,
Hu Hu Zhu, and visit the Moon!
Learn more about the Apollo 11 mission during Author Craig Nelson’s talk on July 17
Award-winning Historian Craig Nelson will discuss the Apollo 11 mission and his new book, Rocket
Men, during an afternoon lecture in the Adler’s Milky Way Gallery on July 17 from 2 – 3 p.m. Nelson
recounts the story of a twentieth-century pilgrimage; a voyage into the unknown motivated by
politics, faith, science and wonder that changed the course of history. But the story of Apollo 11 is, in
the end, fundamentally a human one, featuring the genuinely heroic - and idiosyncratic - astronauts,
their stoic wives, distracted children and the tech teams at Mission Control (which always smelled of
burned coffee, cigarettes and Mexican takeout), all of whom are unforgettable characters in this
thrilling account of a journey to one of the last frontiers of the human imagination. The lecture is
FREE with general museum admission. Advance registration and lecture-only admission is not
available. Seating is first come, first served.
What to see and do at the Adler on July 20 the 40th
anniversary of the Moon landing:
Enjoy FREE Cake
What’s a celebration without cake? In addition to the regular month-long activities and giveaways,
visitors can enjoy a FREE piece of Lunar Landing cake (while supplies last) at 3:17 p.m., the exact
time Apollo 11 landed on the Moon.
-more-

3. Page Three – Adler Celebrates Apollo 11 40th
Anniversary
Peer Through a Telescope
The Adler will stay open until 10 p.m. on July 20 for FREE nighttime observing. In addition to
telescope viewing, visitors can enjoy the following:
• Touch a real Moon Rock, only at the evening event. This is a rare opportunity and the
only place in Chicago where visitors can have this hands-on experience.
• Meet an astronomer in the Adler’s Space Visualization Lab (SVL); see the space shows
TimeSpace, One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure, Cosmic Collisions, Fly Me
to the Moon and Night Sky Live! – featuring a special trivia game; enjoy hands-on
activities and explore the museum’s many exhibitions, including the new Telescopes:
Through the Looking Glass exhibition. All indoor activities are ticketed.
More about Shoot for the Moon
We’ve been to the Moon. We’re going back. What part will you play in our next space adventure?
This permanent exhibition highlights the stories of space exploration and America’s bold plans to
return to the Moon. The exhibition begins with A Journey with Jim Lovell and features the fully-
restored Gemini 12 spacecraft and the Lovell Collection of personal space artifacts. In the second
gallery, Mission Moon, young visitors discover the thrills and dangers of being an explorer and
imagine their own futures in space.
Location and Travel Information
The Adler Planetarium is located at 1300 South Lake Shore Drive on the shores of Lake Michigan on
Chicago’s beautiful Museum Campus. Exit Lake Shore Drive at the 18th
Street exit. Cash-only
parking is available in the lot adjacent to the Adler for $16. The Adler is serviced daily by CTA #146
and #130 buses. Metra Electric and South Shore trains stop at nearby Roosevelt Road station.
CTA Red, Green and Orange lines are approximately a one-mile walk from the Museum Campus.
About the Adler
The Adler Planetarium – America’s First Planetarium – was founded in 1930 by Chicago business
leader Max Adler. Following its 75th anniversary, the Adler began a transformation into the world’s
premier space science center, inspiring the next generation of explorers by sharing the personal
stories of human space exploration and America’s space heroes. The Adler is a recognized leader in
science education, with a focus on inspiring young people to pursue careers in science. Learn more
at www.adlerplanetarium.org.
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