In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, the National Air and Space Museum is recreating the historic moment with a life-sized projection of the Saturn V rocket on the Washington Monument.
Saturday night is the last opportunity to watch the "once-in-a-lifetime" event.
A 17-minute show, "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon," will play on two screens on either side of the Washington Monument before the rocket "launches."
The free show runs at 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and it's viewable on the National Mall in front of the Smithsonian Castle between 9th and 12th streets. The viewing area was outfitted with full sound, projection screens and a 40-foot-wide recreation of the countdown clock that was at the Kennedy Space Center.
Saturn V was used for NASA space missions between 1967 and 1973.
The "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" presentation is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of the Interior, 59 Productions and the National Air and Space Museum.
Other parts of the Smithsonian's 50th anniversary celebration for Apollo 11 included a five-day festival on the National Mall, featuring tents from organizations like NASA and PBS. According to a news release from the LEGO Group, LEGO will be displaying a life-size astronaut model from Thursday through Saturday, and will invite visitors to help build a 20-foot SLS Rocket out of the plastic blocks.
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The National Air and Space Museum also has Neil Armstrong’s space suit on display for the first time in 13 years, and will be hosting a late-night celebration in the museum Saturday.
