The Cradle of Aviation in East Garden City is celebrating humanity’s greatest achievement on July 20 – getting men to the moon and back safely.

On July 16, 1969 at 9:32 a.m., the Saturn V rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida with astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on board.

Collins remained in lunar orbit, tending to Columbia, the mother ship, while Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Eagle on July 20, 1969, and spent 2 ½ hours walking the gray, dusty lunar surface.

Collins recalled the tension surrounding the crew that day:

Apollo 11 ... was serious business. We, crew, felt the weight of the world on our shoulders. We knew that everyone would be looking at us, friend or foe, and we wanted to do the best we possibly could," he said.

 

 

For Long Islanders, there’s no better place to celebrate all things space, especially the moon landing, than the Cradle of Aviation. It’s home to one of three remaining lunar modules that was ready to go to the moon. Moon Fest has a slew of events for young and old on July 20.

Check out this list of events: