Thu, Jul 09, 2009
Splashdown 2009 To Showcase Recovery Ship For Apollo 11 And
Apollo 12 Missions
The USS Hornet Museum is
commemorating the 40th anniversary of its historic, safe recovery
of Apollo 11 with Splashdown 2009, a three-day festival taking
place on the aircraft carrier, which is anchored at Alameda Point
on San Francisco Bay. From July 24 - 26, the public is invited to
ship tours, special interactive exhibits, a display of actual moon
rocks, and opportunities to meet NASA representatives and former
USS Hornet crew. Visitors can literally step where the astronauts
first set foot on Earth after walking on the Moon.
On Saturday, July 25th, the featured guest will be former
astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 11 and the
second man to walk on the moon.
"The USS Hornet is the largest existing artifact from the first
two missions to land men on the moon, which are a significant
benchmark in the history of humankind," said Pete Sutherland, Chief
Operating Officer and Director of Education of the USS Hornet
Museum.
The USS Hornet Museum is also home to the largest collection of
Apollo mission artifacts on the West Coast. Permanent exhibits
onboard include an Apollo Capsule used to test the heat shield
design prior to the Apollo 11 mission, the HS-4 "Helo 66" type
recovery helicopter used in the movie "Apollo 13," and the
open-for-viewing Mobile Quarantine Facility used by Apollo 14 to
isolate any potential "moon germs."
The USS Hornet is a World War II era aircraft carrier that
fought in nine major battles, and was awarded the Presidential Unit
Citation. She served throughout the Cold War in the Pacific,
including three tours of duty off the coast of Vietnam. In 1969 she
recovered the first two lunar landing flights -- Apollo 11 and
Apollo 12. As a result of her unique role in two of the most
momentous occasions in world history, Hornet became a National
Historic Landmark in 1994 and was opened to the public as a museum
in 1998 at Alameda Point.
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