On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon. The achievement inspired a host of products and memorabilia. On display from the publishing collection of Seymour Lawrence is both the German and American editions of the children’s 1969 picture book Journey to the Moon by artist Erich Fuchs who depicts the eight-day voyage with cubist modernism. The author of We Reach the Moon was the New York Times science reporter, and he inscribed his paperback to Mississippi writer Willie Morris and family.

Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, astronauts appeared at the Capitol to speak before Congress during Joint Meetings or as special guests at receptions. For NASA, capitalizing upon the celebrity of these space pioneers was a tool to keep congressional appropriations flowing. The photograph shows Armstrong addressing Congress on September 16th accompanied by a cue card for the Doorkeeper’s introduction of the crew on that occasion.