• By Angela Dupont
• July 31, 2019

Honoring Apollo 11 On The National Mall

I heard excited voices around me while I stood on the National Mall and looked at the huge rocket projected on the Washington Monument. Some retold their memories of the Apollo 11 mission and the first-time man walked on the moon. Others recalled how sending astronauts to the moon was awe-inspiring and an amazing achievement that filled Americans with pride and inspired a generation to dream about becoming astronauts. Younger people connected to this celebration of a 50-year-old event by posting photos and videos on social media.

On July 20, 1969, an estimated 650 million people watched Neil Armstrong’s televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took “…one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Fifty years later, we gathered over several hot July evenings to commemorate the Apollo 11 mission and watch an image of the 363-foot Saturn V rocket projected on the Washington Monument and the Apollo 50: Go for the Moon video on nearby screens that captured the historic magnitude of this achievement in American history.

The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum organized the 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11 that took place July 16–20, 2019. This event highlighted how temporary commemoration can be an effective and inspiring way to celebrate the nation’s achievements and served as a real-world application of the ideas discussed in our 2016 Memorials for the Future ideas competition. It exemplified many of the competition’s key findings by engaging present and future generations as much as the past; creating a universal experience; employing ephemeral and temporary forms; and challenging our ideas about what a memorial could be.

The Apollo 11 celebration brought together multiple generations and more than half a million people on the National Mall to celebrate a milestone in our nation’s history. It created its own memories and perhaps is preferable to constructing a permanent memorial to mark the moon landing.

While this was a very different type of commemorative work than we’ve traditionally seen, it successfully told the story of the launch of Apollo 11 and the first landing on the moon using today’s technology. This also raised interest questions about the future of commemoration in Washington. Can temporary commemoration be as powerful as a permanent memorial?

The power of storytelling or narrative features of permanent commemorative works is an important component of how people learn and exchange experiences. There are many different ways to tell a story. Examples include the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial’s rooms, with each telling a story about one of his four terms in office. The inscriptions of two well-known speeches by President Lincoln frame the issues faced during his presidency. The chronological listing of names of those who died during the Vietnam War puts a human face to the conflict’s impact.

Temporary commemoration shares this essential attribute. Apollo 50: Go for the Moon also told a visual story using words and images. However, the previous examples are permanent and use static images, while Apollo 11 used dynamic images and is temporary.

Apollo 50: Go for the Moon may have been a once in a lifetime experience. But, how might temporary commemoration be used to honor other historic achievements? How might this event be documented for future generations? The return of the AIDS Quilt to the Mall 25 years after it was initially displayed provides one powerful example of a commemorative work whose impact is conveyed by its temporary nature, as well as by the integration of digital technology to further tell its stories.

It is only fitting that the symbolic landscape of the National Mall and Washington Monument were used to commemorate one of America’s greatest achievements, as only something with great meaning to the American experience was worthy of such an iconic setting. While the temporary, ephemeral nature of Apollo 50: Go for the Moon, and its celebration, was appropriate on one of the country’s most important monuments, it should be viewed as a special, but rare, event.

The National Mall is protected from new commemorative works, but for this special case Congress passed a joint resolution (H.J. Res. 60) requesting the Secretary of the Interior to authorize unique and one-time arrangements for displays on the National Mall and the Washington Monument from July 16-20, 2019. This allowed the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum to organize the event on the National Mall.

Video projections onto structures are a common form of contemporary public art. But what does it mean to have one commemorative work use another commemorative work as its canvas? Washington provides a landscape tapestry of commemorative, historic, and iconic features. Connections and symbolism are carefully considered in siting permanent commemorative works in proximity to one another while ensuring each place offers a unique experience. At the same time, the capital is continuously creating new layers of history. For example, the Lincoln Memorial includes a plaque recognizing Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

The moving Apollo 11 tribute helps us consider important questions as we explore the next generation of commemorative works in the capital:
• When is it appropriate for a new memorial or artwork to be overlaid on an existing memorial and temporarily change its meaning?
• What criteria should be used to evaluate similar temporary proposals, particularly on locations such as the National Mall?
• Should a temporary memorial be more like a celebration marking the passage of time?
• While many permanent memorials address solemn subject matter, how can we celebrate American achievements in history?
• When might temporary or ephemeral commemoration be more appropriate and meaningful than a permanent memorial? How might temporary activities be documented for future generations?

We will continue to discuss the questions and explore alternative means of commemoration as a way to share more stories about our nation from different perspectives that reflect on both our achievements and struggles.

Watch Program

Apollo 50: Go for the Moon

Apollo 11 Mission Overview

Memorials for the Future