The LBJ Library & Museum presents To the Moon: The American Space Program in the 1960s, a major exhibit celebrating man’s venture into space.

From the time he was Senate Majority Leader in the 1950s, Lyndon Johnson did more to facilitate the rapid progress of the space program than any other American leader. Johnson co-sponsored legislation for the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, and as Vice-President, was appointed Chairman of the National Space Council by President John F. Kennedy.

The primary focus of the exhibit will cover the period of “Sputnik” (late 1950s) through the first moon landing of Apollo 11 in 1969. Each step of the space programs Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, will be featured, as well as the “milestone” flights of astronauts Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and Ed White. To the Moon will feature eye-catching, visually attractive state-of-the-art elements to match the ambitious scope of the subject.

The LBJ Library’s space exhibit will coincide with a space exhibit featuring Skylab, the Shuttle Missions, and the International Space Station at the George H. W. Bush Library at Texas A&M University at College Station.

The exhibit runs until the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, July 20, 2009. The exhibit also coincides with the 50th anniversary of NASA.