Las Vegas Motor Speedway
On October 16, 2011, the final race of the 2011 IndyCar season, the IZOD IndyCar World Championship, was held at Las Vegas. However, the race was halted by a horrific crash on lap 11 that involved 15 cars, some of which became airborne, and some of which burst into flames. The crash began when Wade Cunningham made light contact with James Hinchcliffe, but the situation turned into a big pile-up of cars. The crash allowed a red flag to be waved almost instantly, due to the remains of the damaged cars and the amount of debris on the track.
International Observe the Moon Night
International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) is an annual public outreach event sponsored by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and other NASA and astronomical organizations that encourages observation, appreciation, and understanding of our Moon and its connection to planetary science and exploration. Everyone on Earth is invited to join the celebration by hosting or attending an InOMN event — and uniting on one day each year to look at and learn about the Moon together. First organized in 2010, there are usually over 500 events annually in over 40 countries, hosted by universities, observatories, NASA Centers, schools, museums, parks, libraries, and amateur astronomers. Some events are offered both in person and via internet streaming video.The date is selected to enhance visibility of lunar topography.