Once commander Neil Armstrong planted his big old silver-foiled boot on the moon on July 20, 1969, nothing on earth was ever the same again. Relive the glory, thrill and immense pride of Apollo 11 and subsequent voyages to the moon during Spacefest: 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, four days of activities presented by NASA and Rice University. Programs include screenings of archival footage from President John F. Kennedy's moving speech declaring our intent to land on the moon (which he gave at Rice University), to that historic first landing and beyond. There's also Ron Howard's gripping 1995 Academy Award-winning Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, plus the mesmerizing 2007 British TV documentary In the Shadow of the Moon, honoring all the Apollo missions. Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco performers will be dropping by, and there's a concert by the El Orbits (how appropriate) along with kid-friendly interactive space exhibits. 6 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday, 4 p.m. Monday. 1500 McKinney. For information and a complete schedule, call 713-400-7336 or visit www.discovery-green.com. Free.
July 17-20, 2009