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Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex
Unveils Moon Tree Garden,
“The Eagle Has Landed” Statue
to Honor Apollo 11 Crew
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Cape
Canaveral, FL – July 2019 / Newsmaker Alert / Friday
(July 12) Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex kicked off the Apollo 11 50th anniversary celebrations
by unveiling the Moon Tree Garden, a dramatic new accent to the grounds
of the Apollo/Saturn
V Center.
The
garden, which features 12 trees grown from seeds that orbited the Moon,
also includes a George Lundeen sculpture that depicts Apollo 11 astronauts
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in their space suits. The
statue, titled “The
Eagle has Landed,” is a gift to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
from Rocket Mortgage by Quicken
Loans, the nation’s largest mortgage lender.
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“As
the nation’s top mortgage lender, we treat the impossible as an opportunity,”
said Casey Hurbis, chief marketing officer of Rocket Mortgage. “We presented
this statue to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to honor the courage
and importance of the Apollo 11 mission, who achieved the impossible by
landing man on the Moon and into the annals of history.”
The
Moon Trees were provided by Rosemary Roosa, daughter of veteran Apollo
14 astronaut Stuart Roosa, and president of the nonprofit Moon
Tree Foundation. The foundation was created in honor of her father,
who took seeds from loblolly pine, sycamore, sweet gum, redwood, and Douglas
fir trees on his space mission as part of a joint U.S. Forest Service/NASA
project. The seeds, which have all orbited the Moon, were later germinated
and planted around the world to share the story of the mission.
Since
then, the Moon Tree Foundation continues to fulfill its mission by planting
second-generation “Moon Trees” all over the world. The 12 trees in the
Moon Tree Garden represent each crewed Apollo mission. The garden also
includes a carving made from the original Moon Tree planted at Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex that was lost during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
“We
are excited to kick off our Apollo 11 celebrations at Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex by officially opening the new Moon Tree Garden,” said Therrin
Protze, chief operating officer of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
“The garden and the life-size sculpture of the Apollo 11 crew are tributes
to the outstanding accomplishments of the Apollo Program.”
At
the center of the Moon Tree Garden, the
seven-foot-tall bronze statue is set upon a four-foot-tall concrete base,
which features an engraving that honors the Apollo 11 crew and all those
who made their historic spaceflight possible. Other enhancements at the
Apollo/Saturn V Center include a closer look at Lunar Module 9 and Command
and Service Module 119, projection mapping on the side of the Saturn V
Rocket, a 1969 period living room and bar scene, and much more.
The
opening of the Moon Tree Garden is the first of many events taking place
to mark the Apollo 11 50th anniversary. On July 15, Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex hosted a transformation celebration of the reimagined Apollo/Saturn
V Center. During the “Apollo 11 Launch Flashback Event Presented by CBS”
on July 16, guests will re-live the excitement and anticipation of the
moment the Apollo 11 astronauts lifted off for their historic mission to
the Moon. The crowd will cheer along with Walter Cronkite as they watch
the original CBS broadcast of the launch. Additionally, a July 20 extravaganza
will mark the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing and a final welcome
home event on July 24 will commemorate the day the Apollo 11 astronauts
returned to Earth. For more information or to purchase tickets, click
here.
About
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex brings to life the epic story of the U.S.
space program, offering a full day or more of fun, inspiration and educational
activities. This includes the Apollo/Saturn V Center, which features an
actual Saturn V Moon rocket, and is currently being upgraded and expanded
in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch and Moon
landing. Also included with admission are Heroes & Legends, featuring
the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®, presented by Boeing, the Kennedy
Space Center Bus Tour, Space Shuttle Atlantis®, Shuttle Launch Experience®,
IMAX® A Beautiful Planet 3D and Journey To Space 3D films, Astronaut
Encounter, Journey To Mars: Explorers Wanted, Science on a Sphere®,
and the Rocket Garden. Add-on experiences available for an additional fee
include the new Astronaut Training Experience® Exploring with Lockheed
Martin, Cosmic Quest, Dine With an Astronaut and special interest bus tours.
Only 45 minutes from Orlando, Fla., Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
opens daily at 9 a.m. with closing times varying by season. Admission is
$57 + tax for adults and $47 + tax for children ages 3 – 11. Kennedy Space
Center Visitor Complex offers annual passes starting at $82 + tax for adults
and $67 + tax for children ages 3 – 11. For more information, call 877-313-2610
or visit www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
Follow
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Facebook,
Twitter,
YouTube,
Instagram
and
Pinterest
About
Delaware North
Delaware
North is one of the largest privately held hospitality companies in
the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for more than
100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places
such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination
resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 55,000 employee
associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a
time in serving more than a half-billion guests annually. Delaware North
operates in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, parks,
resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries and has annual revenue
of about $3 billion. Learn more about Delaware North, a global leader in
hospitality, at www.DelawareNorth.com.
Connect
with Delaware North on Facebook
/ LinkedIn
/ Twitter
About
Quicken Loans/ Rocket Mortgage
Detroit-based
Quicken Loans is the nation’s
largest home mortgage lender. The company closed nearly half a trillion
dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states from 2013 through 2018.
In late 2015 Quicken Loans introduced Rocket
Mortgage, the first fully digital mortgage experience. Today, 98% of
all home loans originated by Quicken Loans utilize Rocket Mortgage Technology.
Quicken
Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken
Loans and its Family of Companies employ more than 17,000 full-time team
members in Detroit’s urban core. The company generates loan production
from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix. Quicken Loans
also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well
as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked
highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination
by J.D. Power for the past nine consecutive years, 2010 – 2018, and also
ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage
servicers the past five consecutive years, 2014 – 2018.
Quicken
Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies
to Work For” list in 2019 and has been included in the magazine’s top 1/3rd
of companies named to the list for the past 16 consecutive years. In addition,
Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans “#1 Place to Work in the Country for
African Americans.”
For
more information and company news visit www.QuickenLoans.com/press-room.
Media
Contacts:
Lauren
Eisele Walbert
Sandy
Hillman Communications
443-683-0294
Rebecca
Shireman
Manager
of Communications & Public Relations
Kennedy
Space Center Visitor Complex
321-449-4273
or 321-213-5926
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