IN THE STEPS OF APOLLO: from the first Moon landing, to the Universe beyond...

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This outreach project will provide people with a unique opportunity to experience the beauty of the cosmos and to learn about fundamental physics, astronomy and mission science. It presents an opportunity to reach 1000's of people new to STFC science/STEM subjects and will give them a profound, immersive and utterly memorable experience; one with the potential to inspire life-long passions for astronomy and science.It stems from a collaboration between NMSW and 'We The Curious' (WTC), Bristol. The result, 'In the Steps of Apollo', is a multi-dimensional production featuring stunning visuals, great new music and short lectures linking fundamental concepts with the most recent developments in planetary research, astrophysics and mission science.Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings, it celebrates this landmark achievement, not just as history, but also as a starting point, a spring-board to future space exploration. Full details in the 'Summary' section.The project aims to engage and inspire a large, diverse audience, not only with the sheer beauty and magnitude of the universe, but also with the story of our own exploration and understanding of it. We hope to illuminate how, from our tiny corner of the Milky Way our knowledge and reach has extended beyond what in earlier eras would have been inconceivable distances of space and time, and how far we still have to go on this incredible voyage of discovery.There are two main strands of the outreach project, one aimed at primary and secondary school pupils and one aimed at the general audience.SchoolsWe will run a mobile dome schools tour aim reaching pupils of all ages and backgrounds, who wouldn't otherwise access this type of event. We have selected 20 schools which we believe will particularly benefit from the project, with a focus on those in, or serving, areas of general and educational deprivation. These have been identified with reference to the government report 'The English Indices of Deprivation 2015' (DCLG 2015). For further details see 'Summary' section.We believe the project will raise pupils' interest in and understanding of science. By promoting STFC's age-appropriate educational resources (such as the 'Hands on Universe' booklet for KS2 pupils) and with the support of participating teachers, we hope to harness the enthusiasm that this will generate and foster an ongoing engagement with science.We hope to contribute to creating a more scientifically literate generation of pupils, to inspire in some a profound interest in STEM subjects (leading ultimately to careers in science) and to help develop greater diversity in science.The General AudienceBy distributing the production free-of-charge to planetaria across the UK we will achieve the widest possible audience. As with the Schools Project, we aim to raise the general level of interest in and understanding of science. However, we recognise that some of those accessing the production via planetaria are likely, by their nature, to have an existing interest in astronomy and related areas. So, to ensure that we reach beyond this demographic, we will also run a mobile dome tour of the production around the region's community centres.The community centres are in rural or semi-rural communities or are those serving the same communities as the participating schools. This means that, while the schools project will help to raise the science capital of children and young people, the community centre programme will do the same for their families and communities.We also aim to provide valuable engagement experience to the participating scientists (see 'Key Personnel' section). Not only will they be involved in planning and writing the lectures/talks for the outreach project, they will also record the talks themselves and, in some instances (subject to diary commitments), be involved in presenting them live.