On 20 July, it’ll be 50 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the Apollo Lunar Module and onto the surface of the moon—one of the most important moments in human history. That fuzzy footage from 1969 is ingrained in the American cultural psyche, but now, it’s possible to see the event from a whole new perspective.
Apollo 11 was in orbit for eight days, three hours, 18 minutes, and 35 seconds, according to NASA. Image by Dima Zel/Shutterstock
At the end of June, the Smithsonian Channel launched Apollo’s Moon Shot, an augmented reality app that puts viewers into the action like never before, with simulations, interactive features, games, and more. “The app’s developers used 3-D scans of Neil Armstrong’s space suit and of the Lunar Module…to authentically replicate the feeling and the scale of the landing,” writes Michael Waters for Smithsonian.com.
More than 20 years after Apollo 11 carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon, the Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Kennedy Space Center. Image by Eugene Buchko/500px
Apple and Android users can watch the rocket launch, explore the living quarters of the Command Module, and attempt a landing (avoiding craters, of course, and keeping a close eye on the fuel levels), then bounce around on the moon with Buzz and Neil and snap a selfie in a space suit, all in crystal-clear high definition. There are photo galleries detailing the history of the space program, and quizzes that test your knowledge—and unlock additional content too.
The app’s release was timed to the debut of the Smithsonian miniseries of the same name, a six-part look at the moon landing told through interviews, archival footage, and artefacts from the organization’s collection. Rather than focusing on Armstrong and Aldrin, though, the show examines the contributions of NASA’s lesser-sung heroes: the near half-million scientists and engineers who helped turn JFK’s promise of space travel into reality. “The series and the app do a wonderful job of exposing people to the complexities of that program,” National Air and Space Museum curator Teasel Muir-Harmony told Smithsonian.com. “[The app] makes the landing more interactive, and it allows people to bring the Apollo program into their own experience.”
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