The origins of Space Exploration Day date back to man first walking on the moon, with the day itself first observed to commemorate this historic event during events held in the early 1970s. It is about more than just the moon landings though and is intended to pay homage to the incredible achievements of the past and fire up enthusiasm for the benefits of space exploration efforts to come in the future.
The Space Exploration Day website provides details of ways to take part, with these produced by the man behind the original idea for the event, J. David Baxter. These include taking a nature hike in the spirit of exploration, organizing public star gazing parties, setting off model rockets, or having a science fiction party to show a classic space movie. There are plenty of other options to have some fun and celebrate a universe to be explored.