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Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of manned spaceflight in the U.S. On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. launched aboard Mercury capsule Freedom 7 and stayed aloft in space for just over 15 minutes. Celebrate at the National Air & Space Museum this month at one of a number of activities. This Saturday, May 7, bring your kids to Space Day to build some Alka-Seltzer rockets or mini Hubble Space Telescope (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Catch one of the evening events at their Public Observatory, Thursday, May 12, 9 to 10 p.m. Hear all about the speech that sent us to the Moon, by space history expert Dr. John Logsdon, on May 25 (Udvar-Hazy Center, 8 p.m.). Finally, explore 50 Years of Exploration with art from the collections of Air & Space and NASA, including Annie Leibovitz, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, William Wegman and Jamie Wyeth; opens May 28. We’d also be remiss not to mention that the lottery for free tickets for the annual John H. Glenn Lecture, featuring two Mercury astronauts — the namesake himself, John Glenn, and Scott Carpenter — opens May 9.

>> Go Stargazing. Sky Meadows State Park is the destination for two star parties this month. This Saturday, head out with the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) for their annual Astronomy Day, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Arrive early to view the sun, bring a picnic, then wait for nightfall to see the stars — no equipment needed; NOVAC members will have telescopes out for you. Free, but parking is $4. If this Saturday isn’t good for you, try May 21, when the National Air & Space Museum hosts a similar event, 8 to 11 p.m. Remember to cover flashlights with red cellophane and dress warmly.

>> Planetary Show in the Morning. Early risers, be sure to look up to enjoy a treat throughout May. Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury will all be visible about 45 minutes before dawn, though you need a clear view to the eastern horizon (always a tough proposition for the city-dwellers). Sky & Telescope has a nice post on the “Four-Planet Dance”, along with an animation of how the planets will move in the sky through May.

>> Watch A Rocket Launch. At DCist, we get a lot of emails about conferences in the city, which usually go straight into the circular file, but “Hundreds of students converge in DC for world’s largest rocket contest” made the cut. On May 14, teams of three to five middle and high school students will try to launch their homemade designs to exactly 750 feet, parachuting a raw egg undamaged back to Earth. Like all good rocket events, this one requires a short drive away from the city: the Great Meadow at 5089 Old Tavern Road, The Plains, VA is about an hour drive. The 2011 Team America Rocketry Challenge, in its ninth year, aims to inspire students to pursue further study and careers in science, math and engineering.

>> Watch A Bigger Rocket Launch. Space shuttle Endeavour’s final flight was delayed a few hours before launch last week; after inspection, engineers have replaced a broken control box that sends power to heaters that protect a power unit. They’ve been re-testing the systems for the past couple of days, and should announce later this afternoon the new launch date, which won’t be earlier than next Wednesday, May 11. Whenever it is, make a date with NASA TV’s blissfully upgraded site, which uses USTREAM Live HD now. Jonesing for some action today? Tune into see an Atlas 5 rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center at 2:14 p.m. today.

Space Notes:

Filed Under: astronomy, look up, nasa, national air and space museum, science, space,