Astronaut Carl Walz in Wapakoneta for Apollo 11 55th Anniversary

July 11, 2024, Press Release from the Armstrong Air & Space Museum: WAPAKONETA, OH —The Armstrong Air & Space Museum will be hosting former NASA astronaut Carl Walz as part of the 2024 Wapakoneta Summer Moon Festival on Saturday, July 20th. Walz, an Ohio-native, will make several public and private appearances throughout the day at the Armstrong Air & Space Museum and in downtown Wapakoneta.

“The museum is incredibly honored to have Carl this year for the 55th anniversary of Apollo 11,” says Dante Centuori, the museum’s executive director. “Carl has over 15 years of experience working for NASA and has some amazing stories about his time in space that he will be sharing with guests.”

Walz, who grew up in the Cleveland area, is a well-experienced astronaut, with a total of over 230 days in space. Selected in 1990 as part of NASA’s 13th group of astronauts, Walz flew on four space flights and logged an impressive 3,620 orbits and traveled over 94,500,000 miles in space. After his final mission, Walz served as Director for the Advanced Capabilities Division in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. He eventually retired from NASA in 2008.

Walz will begin his festival appearances early on Saturday, starting his day at the museum cheering on runners participating in the United Way’s Run to the Moon 5k/10k. Directly following the run, Walz will have a meet & greet session inside the museum in the STEM Inspiration Center from 11:00am to 12:00pm. Walz will then head downtown and have another meet & greet session at the city gazebo from 2:00pm to 3:00pm.

Walz will end his night at the museum as the guest of honor for the Astronaut Mix & Mingle event from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. The evening will be filled with opportunities for guests to connect and engage with Walz, with light refreshments and appetizers being served throughout the night. The event offers a unique chance for visitors to interact with Walz, hear firsthand accounts of his space missions, and gain insights into the challenges and triumphs of space travel.

The evening will include a presentation and question and answer session. Tickets for this event are $55.00 for non-members and $50.00 for members and can be purchased on the museum’s website, www.armstrongmuseum.org.