“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Chances are good you know exactly who said those words…and where he was when he said them. The simple act of reading them might even bring to mind grainy TV images of the moment. But did you know it took a team of 400,000 people worldwide to make sure his historic moonwalk was a success?
July 16th will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of the Apollo 11 mission and, to help celebrate, Cisco will connect some of those 400,000 teammates—including astronauts and ground controllers— with the official Apollo 50thAnniversary Gala at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
The gala, presented by Northrop Grumman, will gather space legends, celebrities and enthusiasts from around the world, including the children of the Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, Felix Baumgartner, pilot of Red Bull Stratos, Scott Kelly, Rusty Schweickart and other Apollo astronauts. They will celebrate the historic milestone and raise funds to support STEAM-based educational programs of the Aldrin Family Foundation (AFF) and the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
Cisco technology including Webex Meetings, Calling, and Devices will be used to reconnect the space legends on this milestone anniversary for a panel discussion moderated by Professor Brian Cox of the BBC. This is part of Cisco’s platinum sponsorship of the the gala, which AFF announced today.
“We’re passionate about connecting teams to get great work done,” said Aruna Ravichandran, Cisco’s vice president of marketing for collaboration. “What better way to celebrate teamwork than to celebrate the Apollo legends who made this moment happen? In celebrating the accomplishments of the Apollo era, we hope to inspire a new generation to make something amazing possible.”
“The Apollo 50th Gala is all about showcasing legends in this historic moment in time,” said Andrew Aldrin, president of the AFF. “Cisco is a tech industry powerhouse and a legend in its own right. Their technology is the wave of the future, and is going to be used at the event to help us connect the gala to audiences on a grander scale than we ever have before. We are honored to have them on board as a partner.”
More than 500 guests will attend the celebration, which will feature not only the panel discussion with the legends of Apollo, but also live and silent auctions with rare space memorabilia, and awards to recognize individuals who are pioneering space. All proceeds raised from the event will support multiple initiatives by the AFF to mould the next-generation of explorers – from K-12 through working professionals – as well as go towards an endowment for the Aldrin Scholarship fund with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. For more information, visit www.apollo50thgala.com.
Source: https://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=1984316