Over the course of a month, the Columbia Memorial Space Center held various events leading up to an all-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing on Saturday.

The space center sits on the site where all of the Apollo Command and Service Modules were built for the rocket that landed Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin on the moon for the first time in human history back in 1969.

To help celebrate, various engineers who once worked at the site to help build the necessary parts were present at the event, as well as several local elected officials.

“50 years ago, I was a 9-year-old little boy that watched the moon landing,” said Mayor Rick Rodriguez. “That was a promise to us little guys back then that space was real. You guys made it real for little kids to dream, to look at the stars and say ‘one day.’”

Hundreds of guests gathered on the front lawn of the space center for an opening ceremony, followed by a day full of educational activities, family-friendly events and a newly installed Apollo 11 exhibit featuring rare mission artifacts.

During opening statements, Doug Bradley, chief engineer of Aerojet Rocketdyne, addressed the audience by first recalling a quote made my Tom Hanks in the 1995 film, “Apollo 13,” where Hanks could be heard asking when we would be returning to the moon again, to which Bradley told the audience it “would be soon.”

“We're not going to the moon to go to the moon, we’re going to the moon to get there as a stepping stone,” Bradley said. “I get it, it’s the biggest stepping stone in the history of stepping stones, but our goal is Mars. We’re going to Mars, that little red dot in the sky.”

Bradley told the audience that Aerojet Rocketdyne made 63 engines for the Apollo 11 mission, something of which he said they were very proud of. He added that the company is once again busy making rocket parts, however, this time for the future.

Altogether, a mission to Mars would take about a year and a half; six months to get there, six months waiting for orbit and then six months to return back, he said. Right now, they are currently practicing in a space station, however, he said the most logical next step would be the moon.

“I'm not speaking in the abstract here... our engines are ready,” Bradley said. “They’re not on the drawing board, they’re down in Louisiana waiting to get installed... This isn’t just an idea or a plan, this is happening. We’re going to land on the moon in 2024... that’s exciting stuff, and then we’re off to Mars.”

Sen. Bob Archuleta honored the city with a certificate acknowledging the role Downey had played in the making of history. In addition, assemblywoman Christina Garcia helped the Columbia Memorial Space Center receive $5.8 million from the state of California to fund an expansion of STEM education throughout their program.

“The Columbia Memorial Space Center is a tribute to the devoted men and women who built the command module in Downey, CA, that took America’s astronauts to the moon and brought them back home safely,” Archuleta said. “On behalf of the 32nd senate district, I congratulate you... continue the good work Downey because you are part of the fighting 32nd.”

As the day went on, kids and their families could be seen engaging in many different STEM and Apollo themed activities, from creating their own footprint on the moon to learning how to move objects with robotic arms.

Downey residents Brandon Chatman and Angela Harris brought along 6-year-old Braydon Chatman to the celebration, something Brandon Chatman had said was exciting because it is an honor that is in his own city and not another.

“We have something in our city that people from across the world are looking at, it’s really a pivotal point in time,” Harris said.

Eyes turn towards Mars during Apollo anniversary celebration