CBS News To Mark 50th Anniversary of The Apollo 11 Mission

CBS News will boldly go where no other network can with original reporting and unrivaled historical context to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

The coverage will feature exclusive interviews and extensive use of CBS News’ rich archives to immerse viewers in the unforgettable moments of that iconic event in American history. In her debut week as CBS EVENING NEWS anchor and managing editor, Norah O’Donnell will lead the Network’s coverage.

All week, CBS News will bring viewers the excitement and wonder experienced 50 years ago when CBS EVENING NEWS anchor Walter Cronkite led the nation through a collective moment in time as the country celebrated the ingenuity, fear and drama of the first time man walked on the moon. With the world watching, Cronkite narrated the dangerous, unprecedented journey of Apollo 11 blasting off, and later, man taking his first steps on the moon.

The CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell will feature extensive coverage of the anniversary. On Monday, July 15, O’Donnell will air exclusive joint interview with Amazon founder and space entrepreneur Jeff Bezos and former U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, who discuss the future of space exploration and President John F. Kennedy’s role in expanding the American space program.

On Tuesday, July 16, O’Donnell will anchor live from the Kennedy Space Center, at the same location where Cronkite broadcast 50 years ago. Then at 10:00 PM, ET, she will anchor Man On The Moon, a powerful one-hour primetime special that will weave together Cronkite’s coverage of the moon landing along with Neil Armstrong’s riveting narrative in an experiential film that will capture one of mankind’s greatest achievements.

CBS This Morning co-host Tony Dokoupil will co-anchor the broadcast from the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, July 16 with Gayle King and Anthony Mason reporting from New York. Dokoupil will also anchor a CBS News Special Report later that morning marking the exact moment when Apollo 11 took off 50 years ago.

Peter King, CBS News Radio

Also on Tuesday, July 16, at 9:32 AM, ET, at the exact moment 50 years ago when Apollo 11 launched, CBSN and CBS News Radio will present Cronkite’s anchored coverage of the lift-off in real time. On Saturday, July 20 at 4:17 PM, ET, CBSN and CBS News Radio will re-air the Network’s coverage of the moon landing. Also that day, at 10:56 PM, ET, CBSN and CBS News Radio will re-air CBS News’ coverage of Armstrong taking those historic first steps on the moon. CBS News Radio can be heard on the radio and on the apps for iOS and Android.

CBS News has also provided the Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex with footage of the Network’s archival launch coverage from July 16 to be shown in real time at a celebratory event. Guests will re-live the excitement and anticipation of that day, with live commentary from Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke and CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann, while the broadcast is shown at the exact time it happened in 1969. CBS News also provided NASA archival CBS moon landing coverage to be used in an exhibit at the recently restored Apollo Mission Control Center in Houston.

CBS News Radio will present an hour-long special on July 16 revisiting the historic journey of Apollo 11 and moon landing. CBS News correspondent Peter King, anchoring from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, will introduce listeners to the people behind the scenes at NASA and the children of the Apollo 11 Astronauts.