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Author Topic:   Tranquility Base historic property status
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-30-2010 11:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The California Office of Historic Preservation has voted to extend state historical resource status to Tranquility Base and more specifically, 106 objects left behind by the crew of Apollo 11.
Recording of Tranquility Base as an Historical Resource:

No humans have since returned to Tranquility Base following the departure of the Apollo 11 crew in 1969 to document the current conditions of the site. Under a $23,000 research enhancement grant from NASA through the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, the artifacts and features left behind by Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. were documented, inventoried, and mapped through archival research. Research was carried out at the Johnson Space Center and Lunar Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas and at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, National Archives, and NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. Subsequently, under a $20,000 Federal grant from the National Space Grant Consortium, an educational website was published and is continually maintained.

Based on the extensive federally-funded research, Tranquility Base has been recognized as an historical resource with significance on the national and state level. While a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and World Heritage Site programs is planned, the current level of recording is focused on the important role of the State of California and most of the objects have a connection to California. Therefore, these [Department of Parks and Recreation] forms document Tranquility Base as a significant cultural resource and is hereby nominated to the California Register of Historical Resources. No other state has previously listed Tranquility Base on its state register.


Credit: Lunar Legacy Project/U.S. Geological Survey

The move is a part of a multi-state effort to award National Historic Landmark status -- and then ultimately United Nations World Heritage Site status -- to the Apollo 11 landing site. Similar votes are expected soon in Texas, New Mexico, Georgia and Florida.

The status applies to the discarded hardware and equipment only, not the land on which they sit. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prevents nations from claiming sovereignty over the Moon, but nations retain ownership of the objects sent there.

The 106+ objects now with California State Historical Resource status:

  1. Apollo 11 Lunar Module Descent Stage (1)
  2. U.S. 3' x 5' Flag (1)
  3. Laser Ranging Retroreflector (LRRR) (1)
  4. Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE) (1)
  5. Neil Armstrong's Apollo Portable Life Support System (PLSS), Model A7L (1)
  6. Neil Armstrong's Apollo Space Boots, Model A7L (2)
  7. Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin Jr.'s Apollo Portable Life Support System (PLSS), Model A7L (1)
  8. Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin Jr.'s Apollo Space Boots, Model A7L (2)
  9. Empty Food Bags (2+)
  10. A Silicon Disc Carrying Statements from Presidents Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and from Leaders of 73 Other Nations. (1)
  11. A Gold Replica of an Olive Branch, Traditional Symbol of Peace (1)
  12. Mission Patch from Apollo I of Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White 11, and Roger B. Chaffee. (1)
  13. Commemorative Plaque attached to the Lunar Module Descent Leg. "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind." The plaque is signed by the Apollo 11 crew and President Richard M. Nixon. (1)
  14. TV Camera (1)
  15. Spring Scales (2)
  16. Tongs (1)
  17. Small Scoop (1)
  18. Scongs (1)
  19. Bulk Sample Scoop (1)
  20. Trenching Tool (1)
  21. Camera (Hasselblad El Data) (1)
  22. Armrests (4)
  23. Mesa Bracket (1)
  24. Solar Wind Composition Staff (1)
  25. Handle of Contingency Lunar Sample Return Container (1)
  26. Medals Commemorating Two Dead Cosmonauts (2)
  27. Document Sample Box Seal (1)
  28. Storage container (empty) (1)
  29. Hasselblad pack (1)
  30. Film Magazines (2+)
  31. Filter, Polarizing (1 )
  32. Remote Control Unit (PLSS) (2)
  33. Defecation Collection Device (4)
  34. Overshoes, Lunar (2)
  35. Covers, Pga Gas Connector (2)
  36. Kit, Electric waist, Tether (1)
  37. Bag Assy, Lunar Equip.conveyor & waist tether (1)
  38. Conveyor assy, Lunar Equipment (1)
  39. Bag, Deployment, Life line (1)
  40. Bag, Deployment, Lunar equipment conveyor (1)
  41. Life line, Lt. wt. (1)
  42. Tether, Waist, EVA (4)
  43. Food Assembly, LM (4 man days) (1)
  44. TV subsystem, Lunar (1)
  45. Lens, TV wide angle (1)
  46. Lens, TV lunar day (1)
  47. Cable assembly, TV (100 ft.) (1)
  48. Adapter, SRC/OPS (2)
  49. Cannister, ECS LIOH (2)
  50. Urine collection assembly, small (2)
  51. Urine collection assembly, large (2)
  52. Bag, Emesis (4)
  53. Container assembly, Disposal (1)
  54. Filter, oxygen bacterial (1)
  55. Container, PLSS Condensate (1)
  56. Antenna, S-Band (1)
  57. Cable,S-Band antenna (1)
  58. Bag, Lunar Equipment Transfer (1)
  59. Pallet assembly #1 (1)
  60. Central Station (1)
  61. Pallet Assembly #2 (1)
  62. Primary structure assembly (1)
  63. Hammer (1)
  64. Gnomon (Excludes mount) (1)
  65. Tripod (1)
  66. Handle/cable assembly (cord for tv camera) (1)
  67. York mesh packing material (1)
  68. SWC bag (extra) (1)
  69. Core tube bits (2)
  70. SRC seal protectors (2)
  71. Environmental sample containers "O" rings (2+)
  72. Apollo Lunar Surface Close-up Camera (1)
  73. Lunar equipment conveyor (1)
  74. ECS canister (1)
  75. ESC bracket (1)
  76. OPS brackets (2+)
  77. Left hand side stowage compartment (1)
  78. Footprint
  79. Extension Handle
  80. Stainless steel cover (9 x 7 5/8 inches x 1/16 inch thick)
  81. Plastic covering for Flag
  82. 8 foot aluminum tube
  83. 2 + retaining pins for flag and staff storage
  84. Insulating blanket
  85. Small aluminum capsule

Apollo Redux
Member

Posts: 346
From: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Registered: Sep 2006

posted 01-30-2010 04:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Apollo Redux   Click Here to Email Apollo Redux     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'd really like to know how you can preserve something that you have no means of reaching, and thus enforce the preservation.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-30-2010 04:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well, just for example, the Google Lunar X Prize will, over the next several years, see private companies and teams from around the world attempt to land a rover on the Moon. A bonus "heritage prize" is offered for the team that can send back imagery of legacy hardware.

Should National Landmark status be granted, then, at least in theory, any U.S. team that disrupts or damages Tranquility Base (for example, by rolling over the boot prints near Eagle's ladder) could be held legally responsible. If UN World Heritage Site status is granted, then the same could (in theory) apply to any team, regardless of where on Earth they are based.

SpaceAholic
Member

Posts: 4672
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-30-2010 04:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think only signatories to the World Heritage treaty are obligated to protect the sites (not all countries have signed/ratified).

mark plas
Member

Posts: 385
From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 01-31-2010 02:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What are the Apollo Space Boots?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-31-2010 08:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The EVA boots, or lunar overboots, that Armstrong and Aldrin wore while on the surface covering their PGA boots.

mark plas
Member

Posts: 385
From: the Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 01-31-2010 09:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well the overshoes are number 34 on the list.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-31-2010 09:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Good catch, so its either a double listing or perhaps a spare set of overshoes were carried and then jettisoned?

drifting to the right
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Posts: 124
From: SW La.
Registered: Aug 2006

posted 01-31-2010 09:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for drifting to the right     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What is item #35: "Covers, Pga Gas Connector (2)"?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-31-2010 10:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If I understand the donning/doffing instructions for the A7L, the Pressure Garment Assembly (PGA) gas connectors, otherwise recognized as the fittings on the front of the suit, were protected by a cover that was removed during donning.

Space Cadet Carl
Member

Posts: 246
From: Lake Orion, Michigan
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 02-01-2010 07:08 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Space Cadet Carl   Click Here to Email Space Cadet Carl     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Apollo Redux:
I'd really like to know how you can preserve something that you have no means of reaching, and thus enforce the preservation.
Everyone thought the wreck of the Titanic was unreachable and eternally protected from scavengers too. The French expedition to the Titanic site in 1988 proved that theory to be a falsehood. They recovered tons of stuff from the Titanic wreck and sold it. Protecting Tranquility Base makes perfect sense to me.

thump
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Posts: 575
From: washington dc usa
Registered: May 2004

posted 02-01-2010 10:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for thump   Click Here to Email thump     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Isn't everything left on the moon by NASA property of the Smithsonian?

jimsz
Member

Posts: 626
From:
Registered: Aug 2006

posted 02-01-2010 10:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for jimsz   Click Here to Email jimsz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
How can California enact legislation for something outside of its borders that is binding on anyone, anywhere? Especially when the relationship to any of this has little or nothing to do with California.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-01-2010 11:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by thump:
...property of the Smithsonian?
I believe so, but I don't think this is a question of ownership, but rather protection of the objects from being disturbed where they sit.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 44876
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 04-13-2010 05:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
  • Las Cruces Sun News
    Space artifacts get historic designation
    The artifacts left behind at Tranquility Base have been designated as historic properties by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division. This makes New Mexico the second state in the union to approve such a designation. California approved a similar resolution in January.
  • The Associated Press
    NM designates moon artifacts as cultural property
    The Cultural Properties Review Committee made the designation official last week when it approved a nomination prepared by the committee's vice chairwoman, Beth O'Leary; students at New Mexico State University; and the Apollo 11 Preservation Task Force.

All times are CT (US)

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