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Visiting the Moon continues to be one of NASA’s strategic objectives, with July 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of man’s first Moon landing. Join us for the NASA @ My Library event The Moon: Apollo 11 after 50 Years with Franklin Institute’s Fels Planetarium Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts beginning at 5:30 pm on Thursday, July 11, 2019 at the Snyder-Girotti Elementary School, 450 Beaver Street. Additional activities include STEM games and crafts, food, a space themed selfie booth, and autograph & photo opportunities with Mr. Pitts.   

One of the Philadelphia’s most passionate science educators and sought-after speakers, Derrick Pitts has been an integral part of the Franklin Institute since 1978, designing and presenting many of the Institute’s public programs and exhibits. Pitts serves as a scientific consultant to many organizations, and he has written numerous astronomy columns for newspapers and national magazines. He regularly appears on major international television networks, including the BBC, CBS Morning News, PBS, and the various late night talk shows, as a science content expert. For more than two decades, Pitts has hosted award-winning astronomy radio programs on Philadelphia’s NPR-affiliate station WHYY 91FM and he’s been the resident ‘Astro Guy’ for 88.5 WXPN’s award-winning radio program ‘Kids’ Corner’ for 25 years. Since 2010, Pitts has also served as a NASA Solar System Ambassador. He is also an Education/Public Outreach advisor for National Radio Astronomy Observatories and Thirty Meter International Observatory at Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

Through his associations with NASA and the astronaut community, Pitts was invited twice to fly items aboard Space Shuttle missions. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Associated Universities, Inc., the agency responsible for management of the world’s largest radio telescopes, and for his alma mater, St. Lawrence University.  As a way to satisfy his itch for history and aviation and to honor the giants upon whose shoulders he stands, Pitts is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., where he served two terms as chapter president.

Registration for this free, family event begins Monday, June 10, 2019. Register for up to six tickets per person online at www.grundylibrary.org, and collect the tickets at either the Grundy Library, 680 Radcliffe Street, starting July 1, 2019, or beginning at 5:30 pm at the school, on the day of the event.

This civic and social literacy program is offered by Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library in support of the PA Forward | Pennsylvania Libraries initiative.  Libraries are key to powering progress and elevating the quality of life in PA by fueling the types of knowledge essential to success: Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy.

Date:
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Time:
5:30pm - 8:00pm
Campus:
Bristol
Categories:
  Adults     Families  
Registration has closed.