Conserving Space Heritage – The Case for Tranquillity Base
£5.00
G. Fewer (2007), JBIS, 60, 3-8
Refcode: 2007.60.3
Abstract:
One of the most important and spectacular events in the history of space exploration was the first Moon Landing of 1969. Safe from the ravages of erosion, agriculture, industry or the expansion of human settlement, the greatest threat to the site of this momentous event – Tranquillity Base – is likely to be from a meteor impact. However, with the advent of space tourism and commercial space travel, the site of humankind’s first visit to a celestial body may come under threat of a different kind – that of souvenir hunters and miners. In this paper, the historical background to the Apollo programme is outlined and the sequence of events that made up the Apollo 11 mission, which conducted the first Moon landing, is described before concluding with a consideration of the heritage conservation issues of Tranquillity Base.
