[ARCHIVED NEWS RELEASE]
09-04-2019
LeTourneau University will host a free, public exhibit in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. The exhibit, featuring items from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, will be available for viewing on campus from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays from Monday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 13, in Longview Hall at the LETU main campus, 2100 S. Mobberly Ave. in Longview.
The exhibit includes displays on:
- The history of manned space flight
- Project Apollo
- Space food
- Shuttle tires and the technology behind them (including the actual rear wheel from a NASA Endeavor shuttle)
In addition, on display are artifacts from the Apollo missions, including one of the helmets worn by the Apollo astronauts, video from the Apollo missions, and interactive opportunities to experience the Apollo missions through video, audio recordings and photos.
On Thursday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the exhibit will move to the Belcher Center Lobby for a morning of activities and free public lectures for the local community and school groups.
The Belcher Lobby will host the exhibit, including additional items from the Apollo mission including the Bible on microfilm.
Two public lectures are scheduled that morning at 10 a.m. and at 11:15 a.m. in the Belcher Center Auditorium. School groups are encouraged to attend the lectures and can contact history@letu.edu for more information and to receive a special welcome packet on the day of the event.
At 10 a.m., the first lecture will feature stories of local East Texans who were involved in the Apollo missions, including Manuel Rodriguez of Carthage who was a part of the team that developed the space suits for the missions and Martha Walker of Longview who was a Lockheed Electronics computer programmer attached to the Apollo project.
At 11:15 a.m., the second lecture will focus on the future of space travel and will feature LETU engineering professor and former NASA astronaut Dr. Byron Lichtenberg, who will discuss his experience as a two-time astronaut in the 1980s and the work currently happening in Projects Orion and Artemis to return a man and woman to the moon by 2024.
“The Apollo space program was an incredible feat of engineering that took us to a part of God’s created world to which we had never been,” said LETU history professor Dr. Daniel Ostendorff, who coordinated this event. “We are excited to share this exhibit and these speakers with our East Texas community as we learn about these important events that are fading into the past. The work of the men and women in the 1960s and 1970s has led to the development of things we use every day—like our cell phone cameras and wireless headphones. The Apollo missions invite us to consider the possibilities for future exploration and innovation.”
LeTourneau University is the Christian polytechnic university in the nation where educators engage students to nurture Christian virtue, develop competency and ingenuity in their professional fields, integrate faith and work, and serve the local and global community. LETU offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across a range of disciplines and delivery models at LETU’s residential campus in Longview, Texas, hybrid options at centers in the Dallas and Houston areas and fully online programs. For additional information, visit www.letu.edu.
Categories: History, Belcher Center
