Buzz Aldrin — the second man to set foot on the moon — wants to hear your stories about the first manned moon landing in honor of the historic event's 45th anniversary this month.
Starting today (July 8), Aldrin is asking people around the world to share their memories of the Apollo 11 moon landing via social media by uploading recollections of the landing to Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #Apollo45. The Apollo 45 YouTube page will be used to promote videos uploaded by people around the world remembering Apollo 11, which touched down on the moon on July 20, 1969.
"I feel we need to remind the world about the Apollo missions and that we can still do impossible things," Aldrin said in a video announcing the Apollo 45 project. "The whole world celebrated our moon landing, but we missed the whole thing because we were out of town. So now, I invite you to share with me, and the world, your story or your family's story of where you were on July 20, 1969, or feel free to tell me how the Apollo missions inspired you." [How the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Worked (Infographic)]
Aldrin will be in the Space.com offices on July 14 for a Google Hangout about the Apollo anniversary. Do you have anything you'd like to ask the moonwalker? Send in your questions via Twitter to @Spacedotcom or you can find us on Facebook and Google+. You can also leave your questions in the comments section below this article.
Famous people from all walks of life have already contributed to Aldrin's project. Space fans like actor Tom Hanks, musician Pharrell Williams, actor John Travolta and billionaire Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson are all featured in the Apollo 45 video.
"I was five years old, and my mom swears she got me up and put me in front of the TV with my other 10 brothers and sisters," "Colbert Report" host Stephen Colbert said of his memory of the moon landing in the video.
Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and astronaut Michael Collins launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969 on their historic moon mission. Collins remained in the command module orbiting the moon while Armstrong and Aldrin headed to the surface of the moon in the lunar module. Aldrin and Armstrong spent a total of 21.5 hours on the moon's surface during the mission.
"Thank you, Neil, Buzz and Mike," NASA chief Charles Bolden said in the video. "We're standing on your shoulders, building on your historic achievements."
Aldrin will share special videos celebrating Apollo from July 10 until the anniversary on July 20. You can learn more about the project through the Apollo 45 YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/apollo45
Follow Miriam Kramer @mirikramer and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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