Waxing Nostalgic About Apollo 11? Neil and Buzz Land at Madame Tussauds' Space Exhibit!

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You can try on a spacesuit, too.

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

A special Apollo 11 exhibit at Madame Tussauds in Washington, D.C., features wax versions of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. (Image credit: Madame Tussauds)

"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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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace