ONE small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

Those words are still as evocative today as they were fifty years ago when people across the globe watched the Apollo 11 moon landing in amazement.

The mission saw three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, launched into space on July 16 1969, marking one of humanity's biggest moments in space exploration.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Armstrong famously said.

A number of events are being held across Bradford to mark the momentous anniversary.

Children from the paediatric outpatients unit at St Luke’s Hospital have got into the spirit of the occasion by creating model rockets. At the National Science and Media Museum, a three-dimensional, seven-metre illuminated artwork of the Earth will be suspended in the entrance foyer as part of the upcoming exhibition Hello Universe: An Interactive Journey Through the Sights and Sounds of Space.

Luke Jerram’s Gaia, created using detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface, is due to go on display from Friday until September 1.

In the 50th anniversary year of the first moon landing, it enables visitors to view the Earth as if they were in space.

The Hello Universe exhibition, which includes an original copy of Galileo’s 1610 publication Starry Messenger and a technical checklist that travelled on the Apollo 11, begins on Friday and will run until January next year.

Meanwhile, a rocket, the Nova 2 from Starchaser Industries, will be on display outside City Hall this weekend at this year’s Bradford Science Festival (July 18 to 21).

Managing director Steve Bennett said: “I have been building rockets all my life, I was inspired by the moon landing fifty years ago. As a company, we are working towards putting people in space. We are looking at flying this one in April, unmanned.”

He said it would be one of the biggest to be launched from the UK.

“When I step back and look at it, I am proud, it’s ‘eye candy’ to me,” Mr Bennett added.

The science festival takes place at various venues across the city including the museum, City Park, The Broadway and the Impressions Gallery.

Vicky Clinton, from the museum, said: “If you feel like a science festival is not for you, this science festival is for you. Last year we had 34,000 people come over two days so this year we’ve decided to make some changes so people come back, but also to attract new people.

"We’ve also decided to theme it, with the theme being ‘space and chemistry’, this is because Saturday is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and this year it is also the 150th anniversary of the periodic table.”