Programs to Mark 1st Moon Landing

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the first manned moon landing.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to set foot on the surface of the moon. Upcoming programs commemorating the landing include:

Staff members from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum will be at the California Museum of Science and Industry the weekend of July 14-16. Lectures, workshops and a special family program on various aspects of the space program are planned for the three-day event. Call (213) 744-7531.

The Santa Monica College Planetarium will also commemorate the anniversary this month with a special show, “Apollo Plus Twenty,” Friday evenings through July 28. The feature show begins at 8 p.m., after the regularly scheduled “Night Sky Show” at 7 p.m. Call (213) 452-9223.

Members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society will have several telescopes at the Griffith Observatory on July 15 to mark the beginning of Space Week, July 15-22. A highlight of the day will be the 31-inch telescope, which will be trained on the lunar surface, the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 landed July 29, 1969. Viewing will take place from about 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Call (213) 926-4071.

A slightly offbeat tribute will be held at the Fullerton Museum Center with the showing of a 10-minute science fiction film, “A Trip to the Moon,” filmed in 1902, on July 7 at 7:30 p.m. It will share the bill with the 1940 Flash Gordon film “Purple Death From Outer Space.” Call (714) 738-6545.

The Griffith Observatory multimedia planetarium show, “We Came in Peace: A Tribute to Apollo 11,” features commentary, recorded especially for the observatory by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, telling what it was like to walk on the surface of the moon. Planetarium show times are 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. weekends and holidays. Call (213) 664-1191.

ENVIRONMENT

The Natural Science Section of the Sierra Club is sponsoring a Field Ecology Workshop the weekend of July 14-16 at the Mt. Pinos area, near Gorman. Botanists and other naturalists will introduce participants to the natural history and environment of the area. Call (213) 429-6953.

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

The insects of summer, with a few live examples, will be the topic of the “Whale’s Tales” family program at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Call (213) 744-3335 or 744-3534.

Junior first aid and a “Fun With Pharmacy” workshop are two programs scheduled for the Kid’s Clinic exhibit at the Children’s Museum at La Habra. The first aid workshop will be held Saturday at noon, the pharmacy program will be July 15 at noon. Call (213) 905-9793.

MARINE SCIENCE

The Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center in Ventura will be having two programs on the plants and animals of the park. Elephant seals and other pinnipeds will be the subject Friday at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the life of the kelp forest will be explored. Call (805) 644-8262.