Visit Calendar Apollo 16: Scouting the Lunar Highlands
April 21, 2012
2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater

Apollo 16: Scouting the Lunar Highlands

Griffith Observatory Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 16 Mission

Upcoming NASA Events at Griffith Observatory

  • Hear tales of the history of lunar exploration from Observatory staff.
  • See a real rock brought back from the Moon.
  • Discover how Apollo astronauts trained under the stars in Griffith Observatory’s planetarium.

SPECIAL LECTURES

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 16, Griffith Observatory is offering special lectures in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater presented by Griffith Observatory Astronomical Observer Anthony Cook and Griffith Observatory Astronomical Lecturer Dr. David Reitzel. All lectures are free and open to the public up to the capacity of the theater.

Apollo 16: Scouting the Lunar Highlands
By Griffith Observatory Astronomical Observer Anthony Cook
On April 20, 1972, Apollo 16 Commander John Young set the Lunar Module Orion down in the Moon’s Descartes Highlands. Over the next three days, Young and Lunar Module Pilot Charles Duke explored the site with the aid of a two-seat electric Lunar Roving Vehicle. Command Module Pilot Ken Mattingly studied the Moon from the orbiting spacecraft Casper. What the astronauts discovered turned out to be very different from what was expected, and the expedition resulted in a vastly improved understanding of our Moon. Join Griffith Observatory Astronomical Observer Anthony Cook for a detailed account of the historic mission.

Saturday, April 21 at 2:00 & 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 22 at 2:00 & 6:00 p.m.

The Moon Landings: Hoax or No Hoax?
By Griffith Observatory Astronomical Lecturer Dr. David Reitzel
Were the missions to the Moon real? Did men really fly to the Moon and drive around on its surface, or was it all a hoax? In the words of one astronaut, if it were a hoax, “Why would we fake it nine times?” Join Griffith Observatory Astronomical Lecturer Dr. David Reitzel for a review of the evidence and decide for yourself.

Saturday, April 21 at 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 22 at 4:00 p.m.