The Apollo 11 moon landing on 24 July 1969 was a triumph of global collaboration and scientific research. Across the world, hundreds of thousands of people contributed to its success, including many Australians.
The Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station, just outside of Canberra, was part of an international network supporting the Apollo missions. Its specialist staff, known as trackers, enabled real-time communication between NASA and the astronauts in deep space.
Equipment from the Honeysuckle Creek station, including the antenna’s track ball and a tracker’s headset and a large console from the Orroral Valley Tracking Station were on show in the Museum's Gandel Atrium from 1 July to 18 August 2019.
19 Jul 2019
Tracking Apollo: 50 Years since the Moon Landing
Andrew Tink, author of Honeysuckle Creek: The Story of Tom Reid, a Little Dish and Neil Armstrong’s First Step, and a panel of Apollo trackers tell the story of how a little dish at Honeysuckle Creek near Canberra was behind the global broadcast of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.
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Presenters:
Mike Dinn, John Saxon, Gillian Schoenborn, Bryan Sullivan, Andrew Thomas, Andrew Tink