Girl Scouts celebrate Apollo 11 anniversary

JACKSON, Tenn. — Many have heard of the phrase first said by Neil Armstrong, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Well, the amazing feat may not be something the current generation knows about, but members of a local Girl Scout chapter had the chance to learn more about Apollo 11 on the mission’s 50th anniversary.

The Girl Scouts Heart of the South in Jackson got a little bit of a history lesson about the Apollo 11 moon landing.

“A lot of it was new to them, but exposing it to them and letting them pick up on the history and then also then the technology behind it,” said Debra Martin, a volunteer care specialist with the Girl Scouts Heart of the South.

On July 16, 1969, at 9:32 a.m Eastern Daylight Time, NASA’s Apollo 11 crew started their journey to the moon, which millions of people saw on TV.

As part of a worldwide celebration of the launch through the organization’s “Apollo 50 Project Lift Off!,” the girls created their own straw rockets to “launch.” The launch also counts toward a global Guinness World Record attempt.

“They love building their rockets and putting them into flight,” Martin said.

Martin says it’s a simple way to talk to them about the possibilities of STEM fields as well.

“We’re wanting to encourage girls to get involved with science, technology, engineering and math,” Martin said. “If we get them involved in an early age, then they can create an interest.”

Martin says the Girl Scouts will introduce 45 new badges for the girls to earn, many of which will be heavily STEM-based.