Thomas Tredway library has recently opened up a new exhibit titled “60 Years of Space Exploration: Past, Present, and Future” (for those wondering, yes, that is why that scary space suit that looks like a person has been placed in the center of the library).
The setup, according to Augustana’s event calendar, states that it: “highlights major developments in space travel from 1958-2018 through artifacts from NASA, Augustana’s John Deere Planetarium, and Special Collections.”
While small, the new exhibit is packed with fun and interesting items. From models, to short readings, to a life size space suit as mentioned earlier, the exhibit manages to cover a lot of history in a short period. There are two cabinets dedicated to Mars and the Moon. The Moon exhibit shows a small yet detailed scale of the Apollo 11 craft with two figures representing Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong, while the Mars set up shows another detailed model of one of the two Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The Mars display even has a globe of the Red Planet itself.
Pictures in the third cabinet can even take the viewer back in time to when Neil Armstrong visited campus in 1972, and when Fritiof Fryxell taught as a professor in Augustana’s Geology department. Fryxell was famous for his book: “The Tetons: Interpretations of a Mountain Landscape,” and he was the father or Roland Fryxell. His son had been one of the first to study moon rocks brought back by those in the Apollo program.
Another display case shows the gloves used to handle materials brought back by from the moon, which were actually presented by Fryxell’s son when he was visited. The plaque near the gloves explains they were from Roland when he was at Augustana, which was during the “Seminar on Space Exploration.”
With all of that, and more, the Tredway Library Space Exhibit will be sure to grab the attention of anyone looking to bide their time for a short while while in Tredway. The exhibit will remain there until February 15th. It is definitely worth a look!