Purdue to launch Web site to mark 40th anniversary of Apollo 11

Event Date: July 20, 2009
On July 20, 1969, Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong took his famous "small step" into history as the first human to set foot on the moon.

The Apollo 11 mission met the challenge issued in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy: to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth. Five more successful missions to the moon followed. The commander for the last of those, Apollo 17 in 1972, was Eugene Cernan, another Purdue alumnus. He also walked on the moon. 

In all, Purdue has produced 22 astronauts who have flown in space. In May, Andrew Feustel was involved in space-walking repair work on the Hubble telescope. This month, Mark Polansky and David Wolf are scheduled for a space shuttle flight to the International Space Station.

Purdue will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 with the launch of a Web site that delves into the lunar mission as well as into the University's role in space exploration. The 40th anniversary site will be at  the link below. The site will feature remarks from President France A. Córdova on the anniversary, information on the University's 22 alumni astronauts, and details about Purdue air and space history. Visitors to the site also will find information on Purdue space research and photos from the Apollo 11 mission.

 

Related Link: http://www.purdue.edu/space/