right now on "news 4 this week." one giant leap, 50 years later. . yiegt now on news4 this week, one giant leap, a look back at the apollo 11 mission to the moon and how it inspired the nation. t feeling heat, a county's lawmaker new effort to make sure no one suffers at the temperature's driez. o> brain dane, how make sure your kids don't lose everything they learned last year by the time they head back to school in a few weeks. >> announcer: welcome to news4 this week. hello, eastern, i'm leon harris, we're starting this week with a look back at the celebration of one of our country's biggest accomplishments. this week we mark 50 years since the successful mission to land a man on the moon. that brings us back to a moment

of extreme and hard won national pride as news 4's aaron gilchrist reports it all started with a simple decree. >> i believe that this nation should commit itself to chieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> president john f. kennedy in 1961 setting this country off on a very clear, very bold mission, and launching the apollo program. more than a decade of lunar exploration, a $20 billion, 400,000 person investment in winning the space race. the center piece of the program, apollo 11. on july 16th 1969 nasa astronauts neil armstrong, michael collins auzz aldrin made their way to launch pad 39 a at the kennedy space center, destined for greatness. >> three, two, one. >> crowds in awe, force in rumble of a rocket carrying

apollo 11 took their breaths away. four days later a manmade history on the moon. >> the eagle has landed. >> rocket tranilitish we copy you on thero gd. you've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue, we're breathing again. >> reporter: it was a sunday afternoon. etting a picture on the >>tv. reporter: 650 million people around the world watched it all happen on tv. nasa recently asked people to share they apollo stories. >> as it lifted off i looked over at my grandfather and he was crying. >> it was just amazing to thk that there were people mo that on up there that we could see. >> it's one small step for man. ongiant leap for mankind. >> reporter: that leap set in motion lunar discoveries that are still bearing fruit today. >> oh it's beautiful, mike. >> reporter: bud aldrin summed it nicelbefore returning to earth.

>> a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown. >> reporter: in washington, aaron gilchrist, news 4. of course, there would be no one small step moment if it wasn't for the space suit that neil armstrong and the others were wearing. it acted as a portable spacecraft of sorts for them.hi week armstrong's original suit, moon dust and all, went on display at the air and space museum. corey smith explains how the design in those suits was a marvel in their own right. >> all engine running, liftoff: >> reporter 50 years later we marvel at the vessel that took us to the moon and now we can admire the vessel that allowed neil armstrong to leave the comfort of the module and step ofootthe moon surface. >> this is our experience of f exploration oanother world. we have to take our environment with us and the only way is with a space suit.

never rter: while she's worn it dr. kathleen lewis knows this suit like no one else. >> it was made to fit no one else. it weighs a ttle over 60 pounds all told. the outer layer that you see is thatthermalor mete oid garment made to reflect solar radiation d d sunlight. >> reporter: it woke some of the sharpest minds in the country to design the suit. the job of stitching it together fell into the delicate kands of everyday seamstresses. >> it brings the human side that's truly inspiring. >> reporter: for visitors, staring into armstrong's helmet is almost like looking into the paeet. >> to s the suit as he wore it with the lunar dust still on it it's incredible,st emotional, 's a very important artifact that needs to be protected and preserved for future generations to see. >> reporter: that' a big reason why the suit is on display, not

just to honor the paspi but t ins the next generation to big. >> how cool is that? >> really cool. >> what did you like about it? >> it had like the red buttons. >> i thought the dirt on it was really cool. w>> reporter: proof thatn old is made new it can still leave us in awe. woul you believe the smithsonian turned to a public kicktarter campaign to restore the suit. they reached their goal and the excess cash they raised will be used to restore another suit, the suit of allen shepherd. our area has been dealing with extreme heat lately and thangs cau people to head indoors to keep cool. that's why officials in o montgomery cty are considering what would be a first of its kind law. meagan fitzgerald explains this new air-conditioning bill and has proof of how dangerous these temperatures are. >> reporter: there are many ways to describe the latest heat

wave. >> it's just really hot out here. >> reporter: viciously hot with the potential to be very dangerous. >> i go inside. >> reporter: what happens when going inside isn't much better? allen cassidy and his wife are in their 70s. for years they've been living at the charter house, a 55 and itolder apartment commun in silver springs. >> it's our home. >> reporter: and lately their air-conditioning unit hasn't been working. we were inside his apartment for about 15 minutes and we also started to sweat. >> that's why a lot o people downstairs on the seventh floor. >> reporter: we followed allen downstairs to the mezzanine level and we saw an empty water jug and neighbors fanning a woman who had passed out. itaselt though the air wasn't working on this level of the b>>lding either. she got too hot and no water to drink and we have no water to give her. the water faucet was out.

>> reporter: she fainted? >> she fainted. >> reporter: that woman was taken to the hospital. montgomery county fire and rescue officials say the heat likely exacerbated this woman's preexisting condition. >> on days like today this is really a life or death issue, it's not a comfort issu montgomery county councilman says landlords don't have to provide or fix air-conditioning units for tenants. he's working on changing the law. >> i introduced a bill yesterdao equire all rental units in montgomery county to be served ith air-conditioning. >> that's what ieds to be. the landlords will do what they can get away with. >> reporter: the bill has a long way to go but tenants like allen cassidy and his wife ella are hoping it will pass. meagan fitzgerald, news 4. we reached out to the company that owns the building. when they say the air-conditioning did go out this aek last week but they say they called crews in right away to fix the problem.

a spokespersonwent on to say when they receive complaints from the tenants they work quickly to address the problems. when we come back after a break making progress, we have a status update on quarterback alex smith after that horrific leg injury he suffered last season. plus, where you live matters when it comes to towing laws. the news 4 i-team explains why one northern virginia neighborhood is all fired up about a recent tow incident. but the county says it was perfectly legal.

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we all remember that horrific leg injury suffered by redskins quarterback alex smith >> we all remember that horrific leg injury suffered by alex smith last season. this week we learned he took a major step his recovery. smith's wife posted this picture on instagram.r aftght months he no longer needs to wear an external fixator. he had been wearing the brace to promote healing in he bones he broke last year.

he's a longy from returning to the football field but this is certainly a step in the right direction. volunteers fro all across the country came to the district this week to help spruce up lington national cemetery. it's called renewal remembrance day. their time ers ga to do landscaping work around the cemetery. they planted flowers, spread fertilizing, fixed sidewalks and more. many of these volunteers who came are veterans themselves and they tell us they just want to honor those who served. >> missed the opportunity to say tha you to those that are buried here and who paid the ultimate sacrifice but it also gives us a chance to thank their families by helping care for a place and supplement what the cemetery does. >> this was the 23rd annual renewal remembrance day. when we come back, school's out for summer. and it needs a break from allt mework, right? but that's not always a good thing.

doreen gentzler talks with afo mer teacher who talks about how to prevent the summer brain drain. a northern virginia hneighborhood fete up wit towing. the news 4 i-team inveigatio up. the news 4 i-team investigation. . ige news 4 i-team inve d up with. the news 4 i-team invei

dale's little girl is heading to college. luckily her dorm is about 10 minutes from a hotel by wyndham. ashley's meeting all her in-laws, frd she's about 10 minute a wyndham. with over 6,000 hotels across the country, a great hotel by wyndham is closer than you think. visit wyndhamhotels.com.

tow trucks. they scoop up thousands of cars in ourrea ea year. and as you're about to see, it tow trucks, scoop up thousands of cars in our area eachear. a video obtained by news 4 i-team is raising complaints and questions about one recent towing incident. as scott mcfar land shows us it's a lesson howng rules cha when you cross the city or county line. when orlando lopez moves into his apartment thety welcome par was not what he expected. >> they're there all the time. >> a tow truck targetin his moving van parked outside on the lot. >> they got you on move-in day. >> they got me on myir f day here. i was unloading my truck. they hooked me up and demanded a $50 drop fee to let me go while

i was still unloading. >> reporter: lpez caught this on camera. two tow trucks were in the parking lot of his building hooking up a truck. 20 seconds after that one of the tow truck drivers backs up quickly to a different van with its blinkers on. >> like pros. >> reporter: the tow truck scoops up that van and takes off all in less than one minute. the van's driver in the orange vest is walking back out to the car. check out the video again.o if you lok closely the van is an amazon prime driver who lopez says stepped out of his truck moments before to deliver a package. >> it was that quick. i the tow company is advanced towing, which c antract to enforce parking rules, one of the largest tow companies in northern virginia. we stopped by the office looking for the owner of the tow company who quickly called us back but declined multiple requests to talk about the tow on camera.

he said the tow was legitimate and that his workers warned the delivery driver to not leave the van standing. >> reporter: if you think that's against the law or against the rules, but the apartment complexes on this streetn fairfax county where they say such tows are legal. rebecca mig lee is thet direc of the consumer services division. >> they know what codeso abide by and they differ county to county. >> reporter: the owner said he c already has aontract with t property and his guys didn't need to wait once they saw the van park. >> 30 to 40 seconds. >> reponder: or argues because it's legal it was fair. >> people were stunned they would do that to a delivery guy. >> reporter: this is a prime example. we're right in the middle of summer and most kids are avoring their days of freedom from homework and testing. but the experts say a summer free of learning can erase months of progress made in the classroom. news 4's doreen gentzler has

simple and inexpensive things to do to keep your kids mentally acive until school starts agrtn. >> repoer: it's called summerai brain as kids unwind from scol and settle into summer vacation mode. >> kids can lose up to 2.5 months of progress in language arts and math if they don't do anything. >> reporter: ann is a mother of two. she's also the founder of educational connection, an in-home tutoring service. one of the best ways to keep kids mentally sharp is by reading. >> that is really the start. engagingkids, even signing them them up for your good old fashioned library program where they can be motivated to readhe book love. >> reporter: if you have a le ruck tant reader audio books are a good option too. >> in fact, studies show that that's just as positive and helpful in reading books independently. >> reporter: and teaching your child a new skill over the summer, like cooking, is another

easy way toeg ite math into their day. >> reporter: so even if it's, oh, can you measure a half a gep, or what's half of a half a cup? ing them engaged, asking them to meare out the ingredients, to mix it all up and to be sur happy with their outcome is a way to incorporate math. >> rr: and look for creative ways to bring the with oom into your home flash cards. >> any time you can have that kin stettic part to learning and not just the auditory, you're more likely to cement it into your memory. >> reporter: a multiplication beat ball. >> they have to say the facts to you. three times three is nine.es rrch shows that kids retain to rmation when it comes math facts 30% more when they're up and moving rather than just sitting down and doing work >> reporter: dolin says the bottom line is to plan ahead to

make sure yourds are deaddy when they return to school. >> don't wait until the last minute which is often what hasn't to think my child read a book. i forgot about that math packet that's due e beginning of school. that beach ball idea is a nner. en we come back, the apollo 11 moon mission, inspiring a nation and a futur talk with the man who worked on apollo 1 and his son who decided to follow in his father's footsteps and succeeded. let's get down to business.

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back now to all the festivities this week as we mark back to all the festivities, the apollo 1 walk on the moon. it took countless people to make that event happen and every small detail mattered. this week we met one of the men who worked on a critical part for the astronauts on that mission. news 4's cory smith explain how it also helped inspire that engineer's son. >> i always -- i've always told -- one of those ended up on

the eon. >> rporter: that got him hooked on science and space. but there's one trip that stands out among the rest. noahov disced his direction d's ection to one of manki most remarkable feats. >> we saw a model of the backpack that the astronauts fa wore on thece of the moon. that's what my dad told me, i built parts of this. >> reporter: back in the '60s noah's dad dr. dennis petro was an engineer in the apollo program. while the mission was to get man to the moon his job was to keep them alive. that backpack was known as the plss, the portable life support system. without it neil armstrong is unable to take those first steps and utter these words. >> one step for mankind. >> reporter: dad i still humble about the whole thing. >> i would see that in my

office. >> reporter: as the country marks the 50th anniversary of the moon landing those feelings of pride are flooding back. >> i hadn't thought about the plss for 15 years. i think, yet,, that's righ that's the damn thing that kept him alive. >> reporter: fast forward a few decades and like father, like son, noah is a lunar scientist for nasa. he's not satisfied with following in his father's footsteps, he's working to make his own imprint. >> it reenforces the great decisions you made in exposing tt to me but howvaluable to learn what we did 50 years ago. that's all for news 4 this week. i'm leon harris and we're going to leave you with those amazing imes of the saturn five rocket on the washington monocouple. thanks for jning us. have a great week.

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>> announcer: "news4 today" starts now. another scorcher today, we are in weather alert mode this saturtuy as the tempes rise closer to triple digits and days like this could become even more common. shocking double murd in the district. this morning police are trying to find out what led to a father and son being shot to death in their northst d.c. home. the latest on the investigation. and toda mrks 50 years since one ofmankind's greatest accomplishments. see how you can get in on some of t best moon landing celebrations in the country. good morning to you, i'm meagan fitzgerald. thanks for joining us on this