JULY 15, 2024 – Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna attended an early premiere of Sony Pictures’ “Fly Me to the Moon” at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., July 10.
During the event, Bentivegna participated in a panel on stage with the film’s director, Greg Berlanti, among others, discussing the making of the movie and the inspiration drawn from the real-life Apollo 11 moon landing story.
Production of the film was supported by both Space Force Guardians and NASA since many of the movie’s sets were filmed on what are now Space Force installations.
“The passion that was captured and what was going on in the nation as we were trying to get men to the moon — we have thousands of Guardians that have that same passion for space every day,” Bentivegna said.
Bentivegna touched on parallels from the focus of the movie’s plot, the Apollo 11 moon mission in 1969, to current efforts by NASA to send astronauts back to the moon and test human deep space exploration capabilities.
He also spoke about how space exploration can serve to inspire future generations, just as the Apollo program did five decades before, stating, “Space is a lot closer than you think.”
“Not only is space in our daily lives, but it’s only 62 miles away — that’s where the space domain begins,” Bentivegna said. “It’s exciting to see people engaging in conversations about space and the vital role of Guardians in making it all possible.”
By Staff Sgt. Adam R. Shanks
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs