History center offers behind-the-scenes tour
The Senator John Heinz History Center will welcome the Smithsonian’s Dr. Michael Neufeld for a behind-the-scenes tour and presentation on the Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibition on Sunday.
Neufeld is the senior curator of space history at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and lead curator for the traveling Destination Moon exhibit that is on display at the History Center through Feb. 18.
Beginning at 1 p.m., Neufeld will share insights into his work at the National Air and Space Museum and his research on the Apollo program, explore the process of creating the Destination Moon exhibit, and discuss how America made history by putting a man on the Moon in 1969.
Developed by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), Destination Moon explores the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission through more than 100 one-of-a-kind artifacts, including mission-flown objects used by the Apollo 11 crew. The exhibit features a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a national treasure in Pittsburgh – the Command Module Columbia.
Admission for the afternoon’s program is $18 for adults and $9 for kids ages 6-17, which includes access to the History Center’s six floors of exhibits. Register online at www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events.
Ahead of the afternoon’s presentation, a limited number of spots are available for an exclusive Deep-Dive Tour of the Destination Moon exhibit beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Attendees will join Neufeld and History Center curator Emily Ruby for a one-hour tour of the exhibit, focusing on the history of the Apollo 11 program and Western Pennsylvania’s many contributions to the space race.
Pre-registration at www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events and an additional $10 fee for this tour are required. Deep-Dive Tour attendees are invited to explore the History Center’s six floors of exhibits before the 1 p.m. program begins and can take advantage of the History Center’s Café.