One of the most significant anniversaries of our era!

 

The 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

It was one giant leap for mankind, and it was taken at 12.56 PM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Monday, 21 July 1969. Six hundred million people, one sixth of mankind at the time, watched Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon. Three tracking stations were receiving the signals simultaneously. They were CSIRO’s Parkes Radio Telescope, the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station outside Canberra, and NASA’s Goldstone station in California. The signals were relayed to Mission Control at Houston. During the first few minutes of the broadcast, NASA alternated between the signals from its two stations at Goldstone and Honeysuckle Creek, searching for the best quality images. When they switched to the Parkes pictures, they were of such superior quality, that NASA remained with the Parkes TV pictures for the remainder of the 2 1/2-hour telecast.

 

To commemorate this historic event, the CSIRO Parkes Observatory will be holding Open Days on the anniversary weekend. It will be an unforgettable experience for all the family!

 

Activities

Saturday 20 July and Sunday 21 July

9am – 5pm

♦ Tours of the telescope ‘The Dish’

♦ Discover the latest in Australian astronomy and space science with talks, presentations and displays

♦ Drive the telescope to observe pulsars in real-time
♦ Explore the brightest stars, planets and the Sun with daytime astronomy the Central West Astronomical Society (CWAS)
♦ Check out the Parkes Observatory Visitors Centre, including 3D movies
♦ Have fun with science activities for kids
♦ Get into theme with space face painting
♦ Be entertained by roving performers
♦ Step back in time with vintage car displays
♦ Listen to live music
♦ Enjoy the range of delicious food available

 

 

Saturday evening 20 July 

Watch the classic movie ‘The Dish’ under the stars, introduced by actor Roy Billing who played the Mayor of Parkes in the film. Weather dependent. 

 

Sunday afternoon 21 July 

Watch the broadcast of the Moon landing as it happened in 1969.

At 12.56pm (AEST) on Monday, 21 July 1969, six hundred million people watched Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon, which were recorded by our own Parkes radio telescope along with NASA’s Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station near Canberra.

Bus Schedule

Day 1 – 20th July

 

Bus 1 – Depart Parkes from the Welcome Street bus stop, Cooke Park

♦ 9:00AM

♦ 10:30AM

♦ 12:00PM

♦ 2:30PM

♦ 4:00PM (no pax)

 

Bus 1 – Depart Telescope

♦ 9:30AM

♦ 11:00AM

♦ 12:30PM

♦ 3:30PM

♦ 4:45PM

 

Bus 2 – Depart Parkes from the Welcome Street bus stop, Cooke Park

♦ 9:30AM

♦ 1:30PM

♦ 3:30PM

 

Bus 2 – Depart Telescope

♦ 10:00AM

♦ 2:00PM

♦ 4:30PM

 

Day 2 – 21st July

 

Bus 1 – Depart Parkes from the Welcome Street bus stop, Cooke Park

♦ 9:00AM

♦ 10:30AM

♦ 12:00PM

♦ 2:30PM

 

Bus 1 – Depart Telescope

♦ 9:30AM

♦ 11:00AM

♦ 12:30PM

♦ 3:30PM

 

Bus 2 – Depart Parkes from the Welcome Street bus stop, Cooke Park

♦ 9:30AM

♦ 1:30PM

♦ 3:30PM (no pax)

 

Bus 2 – Depart Telescope

♦ 10:00AM

♦ 2:00PM

♦ 3:45PM

 

Where

CSIRO Parkes Observatory, Telescope Road, Parkes

 

When

9am to 5pm on both Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July, plus Saturday evening

 

Cost

Free admission!

 

More Information

Check out CSIRO’s Apollo 11 web page for updates. In the meantime, you can contact the CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope Visitors Centre on 6861 1777 or email parkes-vds@csiro.au

So, mark your calendars and we’ll see you, then.