WAPAKONETA — Fifty years after astronaut Neil Armstrong took his historic first steps on the moon, the Wapakoneta museum that bears his name is celebrating the anniversary of that achievement with the unveiling of two statues of the astronaut as well as the official opening of the new Armstrong STEM Inspiration Center.

Armstrong’s son Mark and his wife, Wendy, commissioned the statues to honor his father’s memory. One will stand at the west end of the museum’s sidewalk entrance, depicting a young Armstrong with a model airplane. The second will be close to the entrance doors, showing Armstrong in his flight suit.

In July 2018 the Armstrong Air & Space Museum broke ground on a $2.7 million expansion to create the Neil Armstrong STEM Inspiration Center. The initiative will significantly expand state-of-the-art educational space within the facility.

More importantly, the project will enable the Armstrong Museum to create new distance learning options for students, teachers and educational institutions. The goal of the expansion is to extend the museum’s footprint and affect to every corner of the earth.

An unveiling ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. July 14; Mark and Wendy Armstrong will be on hand for the unveiling as will the sculptor, Chaz Fagen. A ribbon cutting for the Armstrong STEM Inspiration Center will immediately follow the unveiling ceremony.

The public is invited to attend both events. The Armstrong museum will be open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day.