July 11, 2019—Missouri Western State University is celebrating this month’s 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon with special shows in the Bushman Planetarium and exhibits in the Walter Cronkite Memorial.
The Bushman Planetarium, located inside Agenstein Hall, will show “Future Moon” and “We Choose Space” beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, July 19. “Future Moon” honors the Apollo astronauts who first landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and the children of today that may return to the moon. The show features a realistic voyage to the moon narrated by Walter Cronkite. “We Choose Space” is a show for all ages who dream of space and wonder about the future of human spaceflight, also narrated by Cronkite.
Planetarium tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children, students, military and seniors. Tickets must be purchased in advance, online at missouriwestern.edu/planetarium or in person at Agenstein Hall, room 140 during regular business hours (8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday).
The Planetarium also has public shows scheduled at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 17 (“Stars of the Pharaohs”) and at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3 (“Wonders of the Universe”) as part of Family Fun Day at Chiefs Training Camp.
The Bushman Planetarium features a Digistar 4 projection system and a dome that is tilted slightly, rather than directly overhead, making viewing easier. A 17-channel stereo sound system enhances the viewing experience.
As his narration of the planetarium shows suggests, legendary journalist and St. Joseph native Walter Cronkite was long associated with the space program, and was the only person not employed by NASA to win the space agency’s Ambassador of Exploration Award.
The Walter Cronkite Memorial, located inside Spratt Hall, has a number of items on display to celebrate Cronkite’s coverage of the space program, including photographs, the Emmy Cronkite won for his broadcast about the moon landing, space artifacts on loan from the Cosmosphere space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas, and more. The special exhibit will be on display through late August. There are also space-related permanent displays, including video footage of Cronkite’s broadcasts and a 34-foot tall sculpture, “We Came in Peace” by artist-in-residence Eric Fuson, which depicts the launch of Apollo 11 on the Saturn V rocket.
The Walter Cronkite Memorial is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.