Tickets for the opening reception for the IMAX film "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon" February 23 have been sold out, according to NM Museum of Space History Marketing Director Cathy Harper. "We're very pleased with the response from the community," Harper said, "and we know that ticket holders will enjoy the reception, the presentation by Apollo 7 Astronaut Walter Cunningham and the premier of the movie." The film is not only the New Mexico premier of "Magnificent Desolation" but it also opens as the first movie of the White Sands Film Festival. The regular schedule for the movie begins on Friday, February 24. All seats are $8.00 per person.
In part the work of narrator/producer/co-writer Tom Hanks,"Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon" allows moviegoers to experience walking on the moon alongside the extraordinary Apollo astronauts who stepped upon its surface. The film details the life-changing experience of the astronauts who walked on the moon by showcasing what these men saw, heard, felt, thought and did while on the lunar surface. (Astronaut Alan Shepard played golf on the moon and was able to hit the ball almost half a mile because of the lack of gravity.)
The title of the film, "Magnificent Desolation", is a quote from Apollo 11 Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin when he first viewed the lunar landscape in 1969. Aldrin was one of the first two people to walk on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the other. Vintage scenes, such as Armstrong's first step onto the moon, and others are incorporated into the film, along with never before seen NASA footage. A dozen actors, from Morgan Freeman to John Travolta, provide voices for the space explorers, whose words are incorporated into the screenplay.
"This movie will inspire young and old alike with the thrill of exploring outer space," commented NMMSH Director Mark Santiago. "We are very excited that Astronaut Walter Cunningham will be joining us to celebrate the opening of the film and that he has made time the next morning to meet informally with a group of about one hundred students from Chaparral Middle School." Santiago went on to say that the museum's foundation particularly appreciates the support of several local merchants who supported the event. Local sponsors include Anderson Refrigeration, Active Fun, Golf, Games & Go-Karts, Regency Retirement Community, Alamo Auto Center, Casa Y Tierra Title, J&M's Frame & Alignment, Print Plus, Legends Find Dining, Desert Garden Grill and First National Bank. "Without the support of community minded businesses like these, it would be much more difficult for us to hold events like this," Santiago said.
For more information, contact the New Mexico Museum of Space History, a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs, at (575) 437-2840 or toll free at 1-877-333-6589.