Why Apollo 11 Astronauts Have a Special 'Star' on Hollywood's Walk of Fame

As of January 2023, there are 2,743 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce first conceived the idea of the star-paved road to "maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamor and excitement in the four corners of the world." The names on the walk first came from the four main areas of entertainment at the time: motion picture, television, music recording and radio.

There's one star that stands out among the rest, because it's not a star at all. It's a circle representing the moon. Embossed on it are the names of three astronauts: Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. and Michael Collins, the crew of Apollo 11. The astronauts weren't recognized for landing on the moon, but rather for their contributions to the television industry.

The first eight stars were revealed on the Walk of Fame in 1958, with the first belonging to actress Joanne Woodward. Construction began in earnest in February 1960 and shortly after, the Chamber of Commerce decided on criteria for who exactly was eligible for their own named star.

The only requirements to get a star are significant achievements in the category, a career of at least five years, a guarantee that the performer will attend the dedication ceremony and a one-time fee of $55,000 for creating the star and maintenance of the Walk of Fame.

NASA's Apollo 11 astronauts received a special "star," not just because of the full moon design taking the place of the star, but in the criteria for receiving a star. Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins had not been working in television for five years, but they had made a significant achievement in television.

On July 20, 1969, an estimated 650 million people watched man step onto the moon's surface for the first time. With a global population of 3.6 billion people that year, 18% of the world's population watched.

"The telecast from the moon was the single most-important live TV broadcast ever," Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, remarked. "So many people watched this event, that the streets throughout the entire country were empty -- and it was quiet elsewhere in the world. This was the longest continuous live TV coverage in history, which lasted for 31 hours."

The global audience, combined with the continuous coverage, led the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to honor the Apollo 11 astronauts. In 1973, the fourth anniversary of the historic mission, it held a ceremony to dedicate the specially designed "star," one on each corner of the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood.

The astronauts were again honored on July 20, 1999, when the "stars" were rededicated to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the moon landing. These days, anyone can be nominated by anyone, which includes a performer's fans.

Walk of Fame categories have since expanded to include sports entertainment and live theater, but the Apollo 11 crew remains the only astronauts on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Astronauts have their own Walk of Fame, the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, located inside the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

Want to Learn More About Military Life?

Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox.