One of the first men to walk on the moon helps celebrate the 40th anniversary of moon landing with "Beyond Time", featuring actual gear used during NASA and moon landing missions
The Hong Kong Space Museum and OMEGA will bring a special exhibition of space and moon landing memorabilia to Hong Kong fo
r the first time in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, representatives from both organizations said today.
The exhibition, "Beyond Time, " will feature items such as spacesuits, instruments, flight plans, cameras, OMEGA Speedmaster watches and other exhibits never before seen in Hong Kong, all of which were used by National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA) astronauts and personnel in their exploration of space. Many of the exhibits are from the Apollo program, which included all lunar landing missions, and accompanied astronauts to the moon.
Mr. Buzz Aldrin-one of the world’s most famous astronauts, a member of the famous Apollo 11 mission and one of the first two men to walk on the moon-will appear at the Hong Kong Space Museum for the launch event at 3:30pm on June 19. He will officiate alongside NASA Aerospace Engineer Mr. James Ragan, Mr. Chan Ki-Hung, Curator of Hong Kong Space Museum and Mr. Stephen Urquhart, President of OMEGA.
"Beyond Time" will run from June 19-21 at the Hong Kong Space Museum.
"After successfully exhibiting displays of the Shenzhou VII manned space mission and first spacewalk by Chinese astronauts, honoring the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing will continue the Hong Kong Space Museum’s commitment to communicating the wonder and awe of space exploration to the public, " said Mr. Chan.
In December 2008, a delegation from the Shenzhou VII manned space mission, including astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng, spent four days in Hong Kong. "Beyond Time" will include displays of planned space missions that aspire to return to the moon and even land on Mars. The American and Chinese space programs are anticipated to be the most active in future space exploration.
Mr. Ragan was one of the chief engineers of the NASA program at the time, serving as Group Leader responsible for the testing and preparation of flight hardware for the Apollo program and a senior aerospace engineer and system manager in support of the later space shuttle program. One of his most crucial tasks, given the importance of accurate timekeeping in space, was carrying out testing on astronaut chronographs to be used on space missions.
"We are delighted to support the exhibition of these items in Hong Kong for the first time as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, one of man’s most monumental technical achievements, " said Mr. Urquhart. "OMEGA has long been committed to supporting the NASA space program and its astronauts during its missions, including the Apollo program and the moon landing, and we hope everyone can come and experience this important part of history."
