Your invitation to revisit the Space Age has arrived.
Whether you miss the days when people got dressed up to fly or you wish your “other” ride was a rocket, Mission: 60s has a *space* reserved for you.
“This is a three-day celebration of Apollo, aviation, space exploration and 1960s culture,” reads a promo for the Oct. 23 to 25 event in New York. “You will be fully immersed in the sights, sounds and spirit of the 1960s Space Age.”
“The weekend features astronauts, Apollo flight directors, Mission Control engineers, Star Trek legends, space artists, a Saturday Spacefarer Soiree with live music (1960s attire encouraged!), and a Sunday NASA Artemis keynote.”
Organized by Luna Replicas, a company specializing in vintage space gear, and Space for Humanity, a nonprofit that underwrites spaceflight experiences, Mission: 60s is aimed at being the bridge between the last time humanity reached for the moon and today’s “second space race” to do it again — this time to stay.
Launch pad
Your journey back to the 60s begins when you check into the TWA Hotel at the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
Once a functioning terminal for Trans World Airlines (as featured in the 2002 movie “Catch Me If You Can”), the TWA Flight Center has been reimagined as a hotel like no other.
“At the center of the hotel is Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA Flight Center, where restaurants, bars and retail outlets have taken flight. Two hotel wings, designed to reflect and defer to the landmark TWA Flight Center, sit behind the historic building and contain 512 guest rooms with views of JFK’s runways and the TWA Flight Center,” reads the hotel’s website.
The TWA Hotel is only the first sight straight out of the past that guests will encounter. On Friday (Oct. 23), Mission: 60s begins with a guided tour of the 1964 World’s Fair site in Flushing Meadows. Today the home to the New York Hall of Science, the outdoor exhibits includes the Rocket Park, where Gemini-Titan II and Mercury-Atlas D rockets and a Saturn V F-1 engine still stand.
“The space age was less than 10 years old when rockets like these powered incredible missions to outer space,” reads the description on the museum’s website. “Visitors will learn about the history of these vehicles as well as the United States’ mission to reach the moon.”
Also on view at the World’s Fair site is the Unisphere, a spherical stainless steel representation of Earth, and the Astro-View Observation Towers (later reimagined as actual flying saucers in the 1997 movie “Men in Black”).
The first day concludes with Space For Humanity’s (separately-ticketed) “Celestial Soiree” and a Mission: 60’s pool party on the hotel’s rooftop.
MCC, ILC and ILM
Saturday and Sunday at Mission: 60s will bring together members of Mission Control (MCC), spaceflight experts (including ILC Dover, makers of the Apollo spacesuit) and representatives from the Hollywood community who brought about the 60s-era visions of space exploration (including Industrial Light & Magic [ILM]) for a series of engaging panel discussions.
Among the various topics scheduled for the two days of talks are:
- Apollo Mission Control & Flight Operations
- Apollo to Artemis & Beyond
- Women in Aerospace
- Apollo Communications: The Sights & Sounds From the Moon
- SciFi Inspires
- The Overview Effect
- Making Space Real: Art & Visual Effects That Sold Humanity on Space
- Space Advocacy
Featured speakers and moderators include Apollo flight director Gerry Griffin, TIME Magazine science editor Jeffrey Kluger, former NASA astronauts Nicole Stott and Ron Garan, “Star Trek” actor Bob Picardo and researcher Frank White.
On Saturday evening, there will be a second gala, “The Spacefarer Soiree,” featuring a limited meet and greet aboard a Lockheed Constellation airliner and music by Bonnie Gordon. Set in 1969, attendees are encouraged to come wearing their finest period clothing.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, Uplift Aerospace will host a shared “Overview” VR experience for up to 50 people participating together.
Both days will include a vendor and artists’ hall, with guests signing autographs and their books, as well as companies such as NASA’s official patch provider A-B Emblem, selling Apollo-themed souvenirs and memorabilia.
A weekend pass is $150 per person, with add-ons for VIP access, the galas and Friday’s World Fair excursion. Single-day admission is $85.
