The Final Mission : Preserving NASA's Apollo Sites

The world will always remember Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin for their first steps on the moon, yet few today hold in respect the sites that made these and other astronauts’ journeys possible. Across the American landscape and on the lunar surface, many facilities and landing sites linked to the Apollo program remain unprotected. Some have already crumbled to ruins—silent and abandoned. The Final Mission explores these key locations, reframes the footprints and items left on the moon as cultural resources, and calls for the urgent preservation of this space heritage. Beginning with the initiation of the space race, the authors trace the history of research, training, and manufacturing centers that contributed to lunar exploration. From the early rocket test stands of Robert H. Goddard, to astronaut instruction at Meteor Crater, to human and primate experiments at Holloman Air Force Base, innumerable places proved critical to developing the equipment for exploring space, surviving the journey, and returning to Earth safely. Despite their significance to the history of human spaceflight, many landmarks face the threat of damage or destruction. Most alarming is that the rapid advancement of technology renders stations obsolete long before they are deemed worthy of preservation. Moreover, the lack of precedence for protecting off-planet artifacts poses a unique challenge for space archaeology. While NASA’s 2011 recommendations for spacefarers suggest avoiding close proximity to this cultural landscape, the authors advocate stronger routes of preservation and present models for safeguarding space history—both on Earth’s surface and beyond. “Explore[s] the archaeological perspective of preserving sites related to the Project Apollo and moon missions.... thoroughly covers the details of the lunar missions and describes how many key landmarks, such as launch pads and other facilities, may no longer exist because of damage and neglect.”—Choice'An excellent overview of artifacts and sites in both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial environments.'--P. J. Capelotti, author of The Human Archaeology of Space'Artfully blends archaeology and historic preservation into a history of the Cold War space race. A compelling argument for preserving America's twentieth-century space heritage.'--Todd A. Hanson, author of The Archaeology of the Cold War The world will always remember Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin for their first steps on the moon, yet few today hold in respect the sites that made these and other astronauts'journeys possible. Across the American landscape and on the lunar surface, many facilities and landing sites linked to the Apollo program remain unprotected. Some have already crumbled to ruins--silent and abandoned. The Final Mission explores these key locations, reframes the footprints and items left on the moon as cultural resources, and calls for the urgent preservation of this space heritage. Beginning with the initiation of the space race, the authors trace the history of research, training, and manufacturing centers that contributed to lunar exploration. From the early rocket test stands of Robert H. Goddard, to astronaut instruction at Meteor Crater, to human and primate experiments at Holloman Air Force Base, innumerable places proved critical to developing the equipment for exploring space, surviving the journey, and returning to Earth safely. Despite their significance to the history of human spaceflight, many landmarks face the threat of damage or destruction. Most alarming is that the rapid advancement of technology renders stations obsolete long before they are deemed worthy of preservation. Moreover, the lack of precedence for protecting off-planet artifacts poses a unique challenge for space archaeology. While NASA's 2011 recommendations for spacefarers suggest avoiding close proximity to this cultural landscape, the authors advocate stronger routes of preservation and present models for safeguarding space history--both on Earth's surface and beyond. Lisa Westwood is director of cultural resources at ECORP Consulting, Inc., and a professional archaeologist. Beth Laura O'Leary, professor emerita of anthropology at New Mexico State University, is coeditor of Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology, and Heritage. Milford Wayne Donaldson is president of the firm Architect Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA. He is chairman of the national Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the former state historic preservation officer for the state of California. Deep within the rugged mountains above Simi Valley and standing tall against the desert landscape of southern New Mexico lie the once-majestic rocket test stands and research facilities that helped send men to the moon for the first time in 1969. Now silent for decades, many of these abandoned structures–and countless space research, astronaut training, and manufacturing facilities that dot the American landscape–lie crumbling in ruins, failing to achieve recognition for their role in the historic Apollo missions. These sites helped refine the Saturn V rocket engines that carried Apollo 11 to the moon, developed the equipment that allowed humans to survive in an oxygen-free environment, and tested the re-entry shields on the command module. The contributions of these sites are no less important than Cape Canaveral and Mission Control and the preservation of them is just as important to archaeology. History remembers Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, but it has long since forgotten the vanishing sites that reflect the historic “culture of Apollo.” Deep within the rugged mountains above Simi Valley and standing tall against the desert landscape of southern New Mexico lie the once-majestic rocket test stands and research facilities that helped send men to the moon for the first time in 1969. Now silent for decades, many of these abandoned structures - and countless space research, astronaut training, and manufacturing facilities that dot the American landscape - lie crumbling in ruins, failing to achieve recognition for their role in the historic Apollo missions. These sites helped refine the Saturn V rocket engines that carried Apollo 11 to the moon, developed the equipment that allowed humans to survive in an oxygen-free environment, and tested the re-entry shields on the command module. This work examines this topic This Book Considers The Archaeology Of The Facilities And Sites On Earth That Helped Facilitate The Mercury, Gemini, And Apollo Programs. Introduction. Human Culture And Space Heritage -- Cultural Context Of Apollo Culture -- Early Propulsion Development Sites And The Risks Of Space Flight -- Rocket Testing Sites -- Facilities To Protect Human Life And Safety -- Astronaut Training Sites -- Legal Frameworks For Historic Preservation -- Preservation Of Space Heritage Using Models From The Sea And Antarctica -- Threats To Space Heritage Sites -- Preservation Works: Success Stories In Space History -- Looking Ahead. Lisa Westwood, Beth Laura O'leary, And Milford Wayne Donaldson. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Deep within the rugged mountains of Southern California and rising above the desert landscape of Southern New Mexico are the once majestic historic rocket test stands and facilities that helped send humans to the moon for the first time in 1969. Many of these are abandoned. The Final Mission explores these critical sites and calls for their urgent preservation.