n the summer of 1966, America’s space program raced forward with Gemini flights in Earth orbit while new facilities were built to meet President John F. Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the Moon. During that time, NASA provided an opportunity to view work going on inside the gates of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. In years to come, the visitor complex became one of the premier attractions in Florida.
“Liftoff of Discovery with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one American legend,” said launch commentator Lisa Malone of NASA Public Affairs as the Space Shuttle mission STS-95 flew into orbit on Oct. 29, 1998. While it was a flight in the late 1990s, it was reminiscent of NASA’s storied past. An international crew lifted off with John Glenn, a member of the Mercury program’s Original Seven astronauts.
What was to have been America’s third lunar landing in April 1970, became a struggle to safely return the crew after an oxygen tank explosion crippled the crew’s spacecraft. During a reunion of key players involved in the Apollo 13 mission, they recalled what has been termed “NASA’s finest hour.”
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex captures the excitement of the historic lunar landing in their revamped Apollo/Saturn V Center. This feature will focus on the new exhibits at that facility that includes a 1969 period living room recreating what life was like a half-century ago.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, the U.S. Postal Service issued two stamps marking the event. The first day of issue ceremony took place July 19, 2019 at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.