In an era of immersive experiences, Madame Tussauds in Washington, D.C., has a special one for space fans — the chance to interact with wax versions of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and follow their historic journey to the moon.
The world-famous wax museum (which is based in London but has smaller venues in other major cities) promises visitors the chance to follow in the first two moonwalkers' footsteps and to see what it feels like to wear a spacesuit. This is all in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first human moon landing, which occurred on July 20, 1969.
The D.C. museum also recently hosted a discussion with Jennifer Stern, a space scientist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in nearby Greenbelt, Maryland. Her work includes instrument development for geochemical measurements on planetary surfaces, particularly Mars.
Related: Apollo 11 at 50: A Complete Guide to the Historic Moon Landing
"Fifty years ago, the United States proved to the world that nothing was impossible when Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon," Stern said in a statement. "This is an exciting time for America as we enter a new age of space exploration with NASA's Artemis program that will take us back to the moon in preparation for human exploration of Mars."
"We strive to bring iconic moments in history to our guests through immersive activities like this special Q&A, and the new Apollo 11 experience featuring the figures of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin," added Therese Alvich, general manager of Madame Tussauds Washington, D.C., in the same statement.
NASA's Artemis program aims to put astronauts down near the moon's south pole by 2024, and to establish a long-term human presence on and around Earth's nearest neighbor over the following years. The main goal is to use the moon as a stepping-stone for crewed missions to Mars, which the agency hopes to do in the 2030s.
More information is available at www.madametussaudsdc.com.
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