Should July 20 Be a US National Holiday?

By Nancy Atkinson - May 26, 2009 at 7:39 PM UTC | Space Policy
apollo-11.jpg

[/caption] I came across a new website, and it has an interesting purpose: the website proposes to create a Space Exploration Day national holiday in the US, and fittingly, suggests July 20 as the date. July 20, of course, is the date that the Apollo 11 mission landed on the Moon, and this year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of that historic mission.

The official website for the Space Exploration Day

invites US citizens to sign a petition to create this new holiday, which they suggest could be on the order of Flag Day. Additionally, the website advocates July 16 - 24 be designated as a period of U.S. Space Observance, in commemoration of the nine day Apollo 11 Mission.

From the website:

"Whereas on July 20, 1969, the people of the world were brought closer together by the first manned exploration of the Moon; ..."

"Whereas in this same spirit of greatness that made possible, the placing of astronauts on the Moon can be applied to all noble pursuits, including peace, brotherhood, advancement of the human spirit, and the exploration of new frontiers for the benefit of all mankind... "

I think it is a great idea.

Read the rest on the

Space Exploration Day official website,

and if you think it's a good idea, too, sign the petition.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com