Air and Space Museum projects Apollo 11 launch on Washington Monument

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum projected an animated image of the Saturn V rocket’s launch on the Washington Monument on Tuesday night to mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Video of the event shows the rocket being projected onto the monument surrounded by spotlights before the image begins the launch animation and is shown lifting off in a fiery takeoff.

FOX 5 captured an impressive preview along the National Mall early Monday morning when an image of a full-sized, 363-foot Saturn V rocket was projected onto the Washington Monument ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon launch! DETAILS: https://t.co/AQNwowG7Tq pic.twitter.com/ntSWJMD7RW

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) July 15, 2019

The Air and Space Museum told DCist earlier this month that the image would be projected for three days this week to commemorate astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first landing on the moon in 1969.{mosads}

“The Washington Monument is a symbol of our collective national achievements and what we can and will achieve in the future. It took 400,000 people from across the 50 states to make Apollo a reality. This program celebrates them, and we hope it inspires generations too young to have experienced Apollo firsthand to define their own moonshot,” said the museum’s director.

Approval for the projection was passed by Congress and approved by President Trump. On July 19 and 20, a 17-minute program outside the Smithsonian Castle will recreate the Apollo 11 mission’s launch.