For Immediate Release

USS Hornet Museum Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Man’s
First Steps on the Moon and Successful Recovery of Apollo 11 Space Mission

Splashdown 2009 to Showcase Recovery Ship for Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 Missions
with Special Guest Astronaut Buzz Aldrin

Alameda, CA, July 8, 2009 – The USS Hornet Museum is commemorating the 40th anniversary of its historic, safe recovery of Apollo 11 with Splashdown 2009, a three-day festival taking place on the aircraft carrier, which is anchored at Alameda Point on San Francisco Bay. From July 24 - 26, 2009, the public and media are invited to ship tours, special interactive exhibits, a display of actual moon rocks, and opportunities to meet NASA representatives and former USS Hornet crew. Visitors can literally step where the astronauts first set foot on Earth after walking on the Moon.

On Saturday, July 25th, the featured guest will be former astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 11 and the second man to walk on the moon. A press conference will be held from 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. with Aldrin and former USS Hornet crew that participated in the Apollo 11 recovery mission.

“The USS Hornet is the largest existing artifact from the first two missions to land men on the moon, which are a significant benchmark in the history of humankind,” said Pete Sutherland, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education of the USS Hornet Museum.

The USS Hornet Museum is also home to the largest collection of Apollo mission artifacts on the West Coast. Permanent exhibits onboard include an Apollo Capsule used to test the heat shield design prior to the Apollo 11 mission, the HS-4 “Helo 66” type recovery helicopter used in the movie “Apollo 13,” and the open-for-viewing Mobile Quarantine Facility used by Apollo 14 to isolate any potential “moon germs.”

Splashdown 2009 Events

During Splashdown 2009, the USS Hornet Museum is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. General admission price applies, and select Splashdown 2009 events require a special ticket purchase. (For ticket information, go to http://www.uss-hornet.org/posters/splashdown/tickets.shtml.)

Thursday, July 23:

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. USS Hornet Museum Members-Only Preview

Friday, July 24:

6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Launch of Splashdown 2009 and Reception with former USS Hornet crew and Navy and NASA personnel present for the Apollo 11 recovery, such as:

• John Stonesifer – NASA Director for the Apollo 11 at-sea Quarantine Program
  
• Clancy Hatleberg – UDT-11 swimmer who was the first person to greet the astronauts after their walk on the moon, and the decontamination officer for Apollo 11.
• Bruce Johnson – HS-4 helicopter recovery co-pilot for the Apollo 11 astronauts (Don Jones, recovery pilot for the Apollo 11 astronauts passed away in 2004)
• Chuck Smiley – HS-4 helicopter recovery pilot for the Apollo 10 and 13 astronauts
• Don Blair – the only public radio announcer onboard for Apollo 11, and author of “Splashdown: NASA and the Navy”

Saturday, July 25:

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Press Conference with former Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin and panel

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Presentation by Buzz Aldrin

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. A special “We Were There” panel discussion featuring Clancy Hatleberg, Bruce Johnson, Don Blair, and others

2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Booksigning event with Buzz Aldrin for his new book,
Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon,” a memoir about his triumphs in space and the hard times faced back on Earth. (Mr. Aldrin will be signing copies of his new book for the first time in the San Francisco Bay Area.)

6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Fundraising dinner and presentations by key Apollo 11 Mission Recovery personnel

Sunday, July 26:

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. A special “Women in Space” panel discussion featuring Mabel Armstrong, astronomer and author of “Women in Astronomy”, Margaret Race, NASA planetary protection officer; and Dr. Wendy Holferty, NASA Ames Research Center.

Additional Book Signings
From 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on both Saturday, July 25 and Sunday July 26, USS Hornet guests can meet and have books signed by:

• Bob Fish – Apollo curator for the USS Hornet Museum and author of the new book, “Hornet Plus Three: The Story of the Apollo 11 Recovery,” the first authoritative story of the Navy’s support of America’s race to the Moon.
• Don Blair – author of “Splashdown: NASA and the Navy”
• Mabel Anderson – author of “Women Astronomers”

Images available: Unique JPG and video images of the USS Hornet and the recovery of the Apollo 11 Command Module are available upon request.

About the USS Hornet Museum
The USS Hornet is a famous World War II aircraft carrier that fought in nine major battles, and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. She served throughout the Cold War in the Pacific, including three tours of duty off the coast of Vietnam.  In 1969 she recovered the first two lunar landing flights - Apollo 11 and Apollo 12. As a result of her unique role in two of the most momentous occasions in world history, Hornet became a National Historic Landmark in 1994 and was opened to the public as a museum in 1998 at Alameda Point. To learn more about the Hornet history and the USS Hornet Museum, go to HYPERLINK "http://www.uss-hornet.org" www.uss-hornet.org.

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Media Contacts:
Victoria Sánchez De Alba
De Alba Communications
(650) 270-7810
victoria@dealba.net

Terry Pfister
De Alba Communications
(847) 818-8911
t.pfister@comcast.net

Pete Sutherland
USS Hornet Museum
(510) 521-8448 ext. 228
pete.sutherland@uss-hornet.org