Gearing up for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing this summer? Wind Dancer Films’ Ready Jet Go! will offer a new hour-long special, Ready Jet Go!: One Small Step, airing throughout June and July on PBS KIDS and the free PBS KIDS Video App, and an IMAX screening at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. There will also be events on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and Ready Jet Go! space camps in cities nationwide this summer.
“We’re truly ‘over the moon’ about bringing all these incredible Ready Jet Go! events to fans across the U.S. this summer,” said Dete Meserve, executive producer of the series and principal of Wind Dancer Films. “Whether it’s tuning in to the can’t-miss new PBS KIDS special, discovering the wonders of astronomy in a space camp or joining in the fun on the National Mall, we’re giving young explorers an array of opportunities to celebrate the momentous anniversary and further develop their love of space and STEM learning.”
The Ready Jet Go!: One Small Step movie finds main character Jet and the gang planning a night in Jet’s backyard – complete with mini-golf and star-gazing – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. When Jet reveals that he’s built a super saucer that can take the kids (and his pet Sunspot) to the moon, they just have to test it out. After a rough landing, the kids realize that a part of the saucer is broken. With Jet’s parents’ permission, the friends decide to have their sleepover on the moon – but after falling asleep, they notice Jet and Sunspot have disappeared. Ready Jet Go! One Small Step features the Jet Propulsion Lab’s Dr. Amy Mainzer, a leading NASA astronomer and the show’s science curriculum consultant, who stars in the series’ live-action segments.
The new Ready Jet Go! Space Camp program will treat fans to hands-on series-inspired STEM activities. Designed to teach kids about space, the week-long camps will be hosted by PBS stations in nearly 20 states across the country—from Florida to California, Massachusetts to Texas, Kentucky to Washington, and more.
For those in D.C. this July, celebrate with several Ready Jet Go! moon landing-themed events in partnership with the National Air and Space Museum. On July 17, there will be special screening of the One Small Step movie at the National Air and Space Museum’s Lockheed Martin IMAX theater, where they can meet Jet along with Dr. Mainzer, series creator Craig Bartlett (Hey, Arnold! and Dinosaur Train), Christyl Johnson (Deputy Director for Technology and Research Investments at NASA Goddard), the rocking Ready Jet Go! band, and more. The festivities continue on July 18 and July 20 on the National Mall, where attendees will be treated to multiple live, interactive performances hosted by Dr. Mainzer and executive producer Dete Meserve, including music from Craig Bartlett and the Ready Jet Go! band, on-stage games, experiments (that require audience participation!), hands-on activities, and meet-and-greets with Dr. Mainzer.
Support for Apollo 50 programming is provided by Boeing, with additional support from Raytheon. Broadcast support of Ready Jet Go! is provided by ABCmouse.com, Kumon, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support is provided by the Johnny Carson Foundation and the IF/THEN—an initiative of the Lyda Hill Philanthropies.