Houston, We Have Your Ticket

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Forty years ago the world watched the saga of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission unfold when a spark of innovation blazed a trail home for the crew aboard their crippled spacecraft. On April 9, Apollo 13 astronauts Fred Haise, James Lovell and famed NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz will come together to commemorate this legendary voyage's 40th Anniversary during a special celebration hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) at Kennedy Space Center, FL. Event-goers will re-live the adventure of NASA's most "successful failure" mission with a behind-the-scenes journey at the very Space Center where the crew launched into the history books.

During the event, guests will hear tales from the astronauts during a drive-by of the actual launch pad where the Apollo 13 crew took flight, continuing with a look into a mock Firing Room for a private briefing by Kranz. Afterward, guests will savor a fun-flared dinner under a restored Saturn V rocket – the same vehicle used on this mission – alongside the crew, Kranz and key mission contributors while they share the story of what it took to safely return the ill-fated mission to Earth.

"Everyone has read the Apollo 13 book or seen the film, but very few people have had the opportunity to see where it all started," said ASF Executive Director Linn LeBlanc. "This event offers guests a rare glimpse of the mission through the eyes of the men who lived it, and in the place where it all began."  

Event tickets are $250 each and may be secured at www.astronautscholarship.org or by calling 321-455-7014. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and the price, over fair-market value, should be considered a tax-deductible donation. Sponsorships are also available.

Event proceeds benefit the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF), a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization established by the Mercury Astronauts. Its goal is to aid the United States in retaining its world leadership in science and technology by providing scholarships for exceptional college students pursuing degrees in these fields. ASF funds nineteen $10,000 scholarships annually and has awarded over $2.8 million to students nationwide. For more information, call 321-455-7015 or log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org.

SOURCE Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF)