posted 09-03-2014 05:21 PM               

To the Moon and Back: Richard Jurek's Apollo Lunar Artifacts

Exhibit: August 19 - December 12, 2014
Reception: September 12, 4 - 7 p.m.

Rich Jurek is a two-degree alumnus of Southern Illinois University (SIU). He is a published poet and a marketing executive, but what really tickles his fancy is his impressive collection of space memorabilia, which he has amassed since the 1970s. The collection ranges from a checklist from the last moon mission to a trove of autographed $2 bills astronauts carried for good luck. "All of my interests as a kid - space, coin collecting, autographs are wrapped up in it," he says.

Catch the space bug with us and see the SIU's College of Engineering's own contribution: a moon buggy SIU students have successfully raced at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

posted 09-03-2014 06:41 PM               

It is indeed an honor to have a selection of key artifacts from my collection on display in a museum setting. I have seen some pre-opening photos, and they are amazing. If anyone is in the area, I hope they will stop by and check it out.

posted 09-12-2014 10:52 PM               

SIU Engineering department students who designed and built the award winning "moonbuggy" which won the Neil Armstrong Design Award at the international moonbuggy comptetion at Marshall in Hunstville. The buggy is on display with the collection to show SIU students involvement with NASA.

Exhibit entrance title...

My personal statement on the collection...

A wide shot from the back of the main exhibit room.

posted 09-12-2014 10:52 PM               

X-15 display, including a flown mini-book biography of Goddard, and a flown $1 bill taken by Joe Engle on the flight in which he earned his USAF astronaut wings.

Flown flags, beta patches, and embroidered mission patches.

Pop culture items — from TV Guides to Topps trading cards.

posted 09-12-2014 10:53 PM               

Space tunes! Flown Skylab and Shuttle music cassette tapes (Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, etc.). Also a vintage Sony T50 tape player, like the ones used by the Apollo astronauts in space.

Framed space artwork — including an Alan Bean used paint brush and limited print, a Michael Collins Original, and a Lumens limited print of the Steeds of Apollo.

A display of personal items taken in PPKs, from religious artifacts, to four leaf clovers!

Jay Barbree is the only reporter to have covered ALL of US manned spaceflight, from Alan Shepard's first flight, through to the last shuttle flight. This is a flown, Tiffany & Company silver money clip that NASA flew for Barbree to celebrate his covering of the first 100 manned space flights. It was given to him by Alan Shepard.

posted 09-12-2014 10:53 PM               

Lunar surface flown microfilm from Apollo 14, and NASA correspondence about the Apollo 8 reading of Genesis.

Space flown numismatic items!

Limited print of the Apollo 11 launch by one of the NASA art program artists.

posted 09-12-2014 10:53 PM               

An industrial Hasselblad advertisement original art painting.

The original Group 3 personal stories/agent contract with Harry Batten as part of the Life personal stories contract.

Flown space suit flag, and the Air Force One guest log book with the Apollo 11 crew signatures from their Giant Leap Tour the day the got out of quarantine.

Close up of the Apollo 11 crew sigs in the Air Force One guest log book.

posted 09-12-2014 10:54 PM               

Original NASA press material.

Flown Apollo 9 piece of the biometric harness (From the comms unit) from Jim McDivitt's collection.

posted 09-12-2014 10:54 PM               

Skylab beta bags and tie down straps for their Cameras, and Shuttle flown Hasselblad cartridges.

Apollo 8 heat shield, and the Apollo 11 capsule model.

Display cases, with the flown Apollo 17 EVA and Experiments checklist.

Flown Apollo Garland Mechanical pencil.

posted 09-12-2014 10:54 PM               

Note pages from the flown Apollo 9 crew log book.

Gemini flown heat shield.

posted 09-12-2014 10:54 PM               

Various training and flown maps and star charts.

Various flown cue cards, as well as flown and training used star charts and checklists.

posted 09-12-2014 10:54 PM               

Flown beta patches.

Flown flags and patches.