History Museum Launches Apollo Exhibit with Moon Rocks & Schmitt’s Flight Suit

July 22nd, 2019

(Santa Fe, New Mexico) – Northern New Mexico residents have a rare opportunity to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing with a temporary exhibit at the New Mexico History Museum (NMHM) in Santa Fe through Oct. 20. NMHM hosts “A Walk on the Moon: The 50^th Anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing” as part of the worldwide celebration of our nation’s space history. (See below for available media resources.)

On display at the museum located just off Santa Fe Plaza, is the Mercury Space Capsule 12B, created as a backup for the Mercury missions and on loan from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. The capsule illustrates the preceding one-manned exploration missions that laid the groundwork for the Apollo 11 eight-day mission and the first moon landing. The exhibit includes New Mexico astronaut and former Senator Harrison Schmitt’s inflight coverall garment (ICG).

Collection of geological specimens for scientific research was a major objective of the American space program. On Wednesday, July 24, half a century after the Apollo 11’s safe return to Earth—the History Museum’s exhibit will be expanded to include five small moon rocks and a New Mexico state flag that flew to the moon.

All of these treasures will be on display in Santa Fe through Oct. 20.

In an effort to make them accessible to more people across the state, they will then be transferred to the world-class New Mexico Museum of Space History (NMMSH) in Alamogordo. Anyone interested in learning more about New Mexico’s role in space exploration is encouraged to visit. For a list of NMMSH’s yearlong roster of Apollo events click: www.nmspacehistory.org.

Over the years many states and foreign countries have lost their Moon rocks, (https://www.space.com/22108-states-missing-apollo-moon-rocks.html) https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16909592).

 

Media Resources:

Link to July 20, 2019 Alamogordo Daily News story : https://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/local/2019/07/20/new-mexico-museum-science-history-moon-rock-pyramid-nasa-space-apollo/1781199001/

Link to NM Dept. of Cultural Affairs b-roll of NM Museum of Space History campus and Space exhibit after the interview which is dated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFfYGwritg&feature=youtu.be *NOTE: This is NOT video of the NM HISTORY MUSEUM CAMPUS. Link is provided to offer appropriate b-roll of the space exhibit at the NM Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

 

:15 PSA Announcers Copy

Take on Walk on the Moon and celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe. See a Mercury 12 capsule, Moon Rocks and Astronaut Harrison Schmitt’s flight suit. Now through October 20.

 

Media Contact: Mary Ann Hatchitt, 505-681-4014, mahatchitt@outlook.com

 

About the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors National Historic Landmark: http://www.nmhistorymuseum.org 

The New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors are a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Museum of New Mexico Board of Regents. Programs and exhibits are supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and its generous donors.

Opened in May 2009, as the state system’s newest museum, the New Mexico History Museum is attached to the Palace of the Governors National Historic Landmark, a distinctive emblem of U.S. history and the original seat of New Mexico government. The History Museum serves as an anchor of the campus that includes Palace of the Governors, the Palace Press, the Fray Angelico Chavez History Library, and Photo Archives. The Museum presents exhibitions and public programs that interpret historical events and reflect on the wide range of New Mexico historical experiences and serves as a history center for research, education and lifelong learning, delivering quality programs that encourage knowledge, understanding and appreciation of New Mexico’s diverse cultures.

113 Lincoln Ave. in Santa Fe, NM 87501. (505) 476-5200. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, May through October; closed Mondays November through April. Events, news releases and images about activities at the History Museum and other divisions in the Department of Cultural Affairs can be accessed at media.newmexicoculture.org.