An Evening with America’s Space Heroes.

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued a goal to the American people of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth within a decade.” President Kennedy’s challenge resulted in an international space race, spurring on previously unprecedented technological advances through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs.

In all, 12 Americans would walk on the moon. The first, Neil Armstrong, took “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969, successfully accomplishing President Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon. Six more Apollo missions flew to the moon, with Gene Cernan of Apollo 17 being the last person to ever leave footprints on the lunar surface in December of 1972, making him “The Last Man on the Moon.”

Cernan’s accomplishments, as well as those of his fellow Apollo 17 moonwalker, Harrison Schmitt, were made possible by the hard work of teams of dedicated men and women who spent more than ten years focusing on successfully sending Americans to the Moon.

On June 23, former Good Morning America host David Hartman and Mark Larson of AM1170 and KUSI TV will serve as the evening’s moderators for the special event “To the Moon and Back: An Evening with America’s Space Heroes.” Offering a rare opportunity to meet not only some of the American heroes who walked on the moon, but also the remarkable people on the ground who helped make mankind’s most extraordinary dream a reality.

www.sandiegoairandspace.org