Page 9 - Van Wig & Associates Newsletter, Lakewood Edge ~ September 2019 Issue
P. 9

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         KENNEDY SPACE CENTER UNVEILS






          APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT STATUE, REIMAGINED APOLLO/SATURN V CENTER


        by Patrick Connolly                                                                                            immersive activities than ever before.
                                                                                                                        One screen displays the site of each Apollo
              he Florida summer sun shone down on                                                                      landing mapped out on the moon’s surface.
              Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong,                                                                     Another takes visitors on an animated tour
        TBuzz Aldrin and Michael Collins as                                                                            through the Vehicle Assembly Building and
        media and VIPs gathered for an event at                                                                        details the rocket-building process.
        Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s                                                                          “The younger audience, they actually want
        Apollo/Saturn V Center. Or rather a                                                                            to be more part of the display, rather than just
        glimmering, bronze, 7-foot-tall rendition of                                                                   reading a plaque,” Protze said.
        them.                                                                                                           Other changes include moving the Apollo
          The Cape Canaveral center’s new statue                                                                       Lunar Module down from its former home
        was unveiled along with recent updates to                                                                      on the ceiling and onto the ground for closer
        the Apollo/Saturn V Center as the Apollo 11                                                                    viewing alongside 1969 newspaper front pages
        moon landing anniversary approached.                                                                           sharing the good news of a successful moon
          Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of                                                                   landing. On a nearby touch-screen panel,
        Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, said                                                                     guests can learn more about specific features of
        it’s like the bronze astronauts have a perfect                                                                 the module.
        view for watching the current rocket launches.                                                                  Kennedy Space Center Director Robert
          “As we were putting this up, we noticed                                                                      Cabana, a former NASA astronaut and veteran
        how they perfectly overlook the pad. So as                                                                     of four Space Shuttle missions, was among
        rockets go up, we even have Neil Armstrong                                                                     speakers at the Moon Tree Garden opening
        shading his eyes from the sun as he’s looking                                                                  ceremony. He talked about future trips to
        up at rockets,” Protze said. “I do hope our                                                                    space, including those to the moon and Mars.
        future generations will be able to admire this                                                                  “As great as our last 50 years have been, I
        for many, many years.”                                                                                         believe that our next 50 years are going to be
          Although Armstrong isn’t alive to witness                                                                    even more phenomenal,” Cabana said. “We’re
        the present and future of space exploration, his                                                               going back to the moon _ not just for a two or
        legacy lives on through the statue.                                                                            three-day camping trip _ we’re going back in
          The statue, which also depicts Aldrin holding                                                                a sustainable way. But we’re going back to the
        a  painted American  flag and Collins  holding                                                                 moon so that we can get to Mars.”
        his helmet while proudly gazing upward, was                                                                     He reminded the gathered media and VIPs
        a  $750,000  gift  from  Rocket  Mortgage  by                                                                  that, as a part of the Artemis mission, there will
        Quicken Loans. It was created by Colorado-                                                                     be astronauts back on the moon in 2024.
        based sculptors George and Mark Lundeen   “Inside the (Apollo 14) Command Module  the Moon Tree Garden. A plaque in front   “I can’t wait to see that big SLS/Orion
        and made a nearly 2,000-mile road trip to its  was a tiny canister of almost 450 tree seeds of  of each tree details a different crewed Apollo  lifting off here at the end of 2020, early ‘21
        permanent home.                      five different varieties that represented trees  mission.                 on that first test flight. By 2022, we’re going
          The Apollo 11 astronaut statue is surrounded  that grew across the United States,” Roosa said.   “Hopefully, these trees can unite the  to be flying with a crew around the moon,”
        by a tribute to all of the crewed Apollo missions.  “One such tree was planted here at Kennedy  world again through their beauty and their  Cabana said. “In 2024, we are going to have
        The newly opened Moon Tree Garden features  Space Center, and it lived here happily for 40  inspiration,” Roosa said.  the first woman and next man on the moon
        12 trees, one for each of the manned Apollo  years until Hurricane Irma took it out.”  The nearby Apollo/Saturn V Center has  as Americans. We’re going to make that
        trips to space.                        The original tree was a sycamore planted in  also received a facelift in the form of new,  happen.”   n
          Rosemary Roosa, president of the Moon  1976 during the United States’ bicentennial  interactive exhibits.
        Tree Foundation and daughter of Apollo 14  celebrations. After the original tree fell, Roosa   Unveiled during a  public “transformation   ©2019 The Orlando Sentinel
        astronaut Stuart Roosa, said she has a personal  donated second-generation seeds, to create  celebration” last week, the reimagined exhibit   Distributed by Tribune
        connection to the trees planted in the garden.  what NASA calls half-moon trees, and plant  floor provides visitors more touch screens and   Content Agency, LLC.


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