In honor of our new art piece “Dreamer” by Matt Shurtleff, the Orem Library is pleased to present “Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission Poster Exhibition.” This exhibit is created by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Located on the library bridge, the exhibit will be on display until March 15, 2021.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” That challenge was met just eight years later on July 24, 1969. It was a momentous day and many older Americans remember where they witnessed the moon landing.
Destination Moon chronicles the work of nearly 400,000 NASA scientists and engineers who worked through twenty space missions to achieve the moon landing. The most brilliant minds of the generation explored numerous challenges including designing clothing, fuel, how to eat, and equipment that would function in outer space. They also designed rovers that could travel on a surface no one had previously experienced.
Impact of The Space Program
Many items we use every day came from this space program, including Velcro, scratch-resistant lenses, ear thermometers, Invisalign braces for teeth, cordless drills, tap water filters, GPS navigation, smoke detectors, memory foam and more.
The moon landing was truly one of the great achievements of United States history. It is our hope that this exhibit and our new art piece will cultivate curiosity and inspire a new generation of engineers, scientists, and astronauts. To find out more about the NASA space program and films about space, check out the 629.4 area in books and documentaries and the many terrific feature films about space travel.
More information about the exhibit can be found at The Smithsonian.
Written by Lori, Outreach Librarian