Hundreds of people turned out for °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing on July 20.
The event featured planetarium shows, games and science activities for people of all ages. The highlight was a concert by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, which performed a selection of space-themed pieces on Kaufman Lawn. Among them was "From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond," a composition, with narration and imagery to commemorate the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, that was written by Indiana composer James Beckel.
It was performed for the first time in Virginia, and °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ President John R. Broderick provided the narration.
The event was made possible by contributions from °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ's College of Arts and Letters, Strome College of Business, Darden College of Education and Professional Studies, Batten College of Engineering and Technology, College of Health Sciences, College of Sciences, Graduate School, Pretlow Planetarium, Alumni Association, Office of Development, Student Engagement and Enrollment Services, Office of Community Engagement, Webb University Center, Center for Educational Partnerships and Aramark. The Slover Library, Town-N-Gown and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra also made contributions.
Celebrating Apollo's 50th Anniversary at °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ's celebration of the 50th anniversary of Apollo's moon landing is capped by a performance by Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Photo David B. Hollingsworth/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ President John R. Broderick, left, greets Virginia Symphony Orchestra conductor Gonzalo Farias before Saturday’s concert. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Celebrating Apollo's 50th Anniversary at °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
This little fellow successfully takes on a huge ball on Kaufman Mall. Photo David B. Hollingsworth/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Celebrating Apollo's 50th Anniversary at °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Elizabeth Tillson, 8, dons an astronaut glove and waves to her family at the selfie booth. Photo David B. Hollingsworth/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Celebrating Apollo's 50th Anniversary at °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Peyton Moore, 9 years old, takes on the Apollo 11 virtual reality. Photo David B. Hollingsworth/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Celebrating Apollo's 50th Anniversary at °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
One small step leads to one big leap for 6-year-old Nora Donohue. Photo David B. Hollingsworth/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Celebrating Apollo's 50th Anniversary at °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
NASA employee Ji Su meets the robot, Vgo, at the moon landing celebration. Photo David B. Hollingsworth/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Hundreds of people turned out July 20 for °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Lots of selfies are taken to commemorate the celebration. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Ten-year-old Mikey Cleaver has his NASA helmet on and is ready to blast off. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Armed with two balloon animals, Catherine Horn is ready to take on the next adventure. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Water stations are set up throughout campus to keep everyone hydrated. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
At least 1,000 people attended the 50th anniversary celebration of the Apollo moon landing. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Engineering technology Associate Professor Carol Considine and her family are ready to visit the moon. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
The event features planetarium shows, games and science activities for people of all ages. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Liz Smith and Professor Fred Dobbs play "cosmic cornhole" for Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences departmental bragging rights. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
The celebration is highlighted by a concert by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. It performs "From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond," which is played for the first time in Virginia, with narration from °¼Í¹ÊÓƵ President John R. Broderick. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Art education student Kristin Lee is all smiles as Jaxon Hipp works on his space monoprint. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Savannah Viar enjoys the astronaut selfie station. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Virginia Symphony Orchestra conductor Gonzalo Farias thanks the audience for waiting in the heat. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
Molly Donohue prepares to launch her rocket as her dad, Kieran, watches. Photo Chuck Thomas/°¼Í¹ÊÓƵ
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