Ready Your Recorders! NASA Wants Your Apollo Moon Landing Memories

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NASA wants the public's help to create an oral history of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Apollo 11's lunar module touched down safely on the moon on July 20, 1969, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. With the big anniversary coming up soon, NASA's Explorers: Apollo program will release a commemorative audio series that includes stories submitted by the general public, sharing their views on space exploration and the Apollo moon landings.

All recordings should be submitted to apollostories@mail.nasa.gov. Recordings received before June 14 will have the best chance of getting featured in the series, NASA said. The ultimate deadline for submissions is Dec. 31. NASA has released detailed recording instructions in a statement.

Related: 'Apollo's Legacy': Science, Politics — and the Return to the Moon

NASA's suggested questions for participants include:

  • What does exploration mean to you?
  • What do you think it would be like to see humans walk on the moon again?
  • When you think of the moon, what comes to mind?
  • What do you want to know about the moon?

NASA is inviting the public to share their Apollo stories and views on its 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. (Image credit: NASA)

If you remember the moon landing, NASA has some additional prompts for you to consider:

  • Where were you when humans walked on the moon for the first time? Describe who you were with, what you were thinking, what the atmosphere was like and how you were feeling.
  • What was your life like in 1969?
  • Do you remember learning about space in school? If so, what do you remember?

As the agency remembers the Apollo moon landing program, which saw 12 people walk on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972, NASA is gearing up for the possibility of additional human landings in the near future. A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump's administration set a 2024 deadline to land the next astronauts on the moon, and the president's recent fiscal 2020 NASA budget request amendment includes $1.6 billion for that initiative.

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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Former Staff Writer, Spaceflight (July 2022-November 2024)

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on 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?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.