NASA is kicking off events to commemorate the achievements of the Apollo program and the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing. On July 18, NASA and the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Emil de Cou will host a free concert, “Salute to Apollo: The Kennedy Legacy,” at 8 p.m. EDT at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts’ Concert Hall.

Special guests at the event include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and space shuttle Commander Scott Altman, who led the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Aldrin and Atlman, who will narrate highlights from Gustav Holst’s The Planets, will join a stellar lineup of performers including mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, R&B singer Chaka Khan and singer and actress Jamia Nash. The evening will include two selections written by Tena Clark including the Grammy nominated song Way Up There to be performed by Khan. Clark also wrote special lyrics dedicated to the Hubble astronauts for her other song written for Build-A-Bear Workshop entitled Let’s Talk About Love. The 12-year-old Nash will sing these special lyrics.

The rest of the program includes selections from John Williams and Antonin Dvorák. The music will be enhanced by footage of the Apollo missions, and other NASA programs projected on a large screen above the orchestra.

NASA's Apollo missions and 40th anniversary Web sites provide easy access to various agency resources about the program and the history of human spaceflight, including a gallery of Apollo multimedia features.

Related Sites:

> Kennedy Center
> Apollo 40th Anniversary Web site
> Apollo Missions