McMoons: How a Band of Scientists Saved Lunar History
New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) seeks to engage the Bay Area community at the intersection of art, history, and education. NUMU is proud to collaborate with the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) on an extraordinary, historic preservation journey.
In 2008, working out of an abandoned McDonald's building on the NASA campus in Sunnyvale, a group of dedicated scientists, former NASA employees, and three 12-year-old interns began a project to recover the original NASA Lunar Orbiter images from 1966-67, integral for the safe landing of the first Apollo landing on the moon. Due to neglect and indifference over time, the original data, stored on large tape reels, was nearly lost. Now, fifty years after the Lunar Orbiter project, this vital piece of lunar mission history has been saved, enhanced and digitized, thanks to the tenacity and foresight of a handful of self described “techno-archaeologists.” Our museum will partner with LOIRP to bring this extraordinary piece of NASA history to the public, and support the ongoing efforts of the LOIRP team.
For details on the LOIRP project go to their site at: http://www.moonviews.com
Original 1965 Lunar Orbiter film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flofRMh35ts
Our campaign seeks to raise $10,000 in order to fund both exhibit costs and LOIRP image preservation expenses. The campaign will help to create a spectacular exhibit, designed to both educate and give the public a glimpse of this groundbreaking work. As collaborative partners, NUMU and LOIRP are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the NASA Lunar Orbiter program in a way that sheds light onto a most interesting story of preserving the history of NASA's Apollo Program.
No matter how big or how small, all donations are welcome and greatly appreciated!
Costs and Gifts
We need $10,000 in donations to fund this exhibit and ongoing project. Donations will fund vital costs such as printing, documentary film, installation hardware and supplies as well as funding for the continuing LOIRP preservation project.
With each donation, our team is happy to announce that we will be offering one of kind, never available to the public until now, limited-edition lunar images and gifts to express our appreciation. Gift packages range from $25 - $1250. Every donation is greatly appreciated. Since NUMU is a 501c non-profit organization, donations are tax deductible as well.
Because we are a non-profit organization, we are operating under a flexible-funding campaign, meaning that we'll be able to keep the funds raised even if we don't achieve our goal. This is imperative because any and all funding we receive will help us to build the exhibit, and assist LOIRP, even if the goal isn't reached.
The Impact
Our exhibit seeks to engage our community in both science and history. Our goal is to spark an interest and appreciation for the value of the early space program missions and the vital importance or preserving this irreplaceable piece of lunar image history in our rapidly changing technological world. NUMU's mission is to introduce the audience to the beauty and importance of the lunar images, coupled with this unique story of digital preservation.
Risks & Challenges
We know investments can be risky, but our dedicated team is in good hands. The LOIRP team has successfully run similar campaigns with staggering success. We've done our research, we've made our plan, and we're ready to launch!
Other Ways You Can Help
We understand that life happens and you may not be able to donate at this time. However, if this is something you're passionate about, there's other ways you can help. A great way to help our team is by spreading the word -- share our indiegogo campaign link to your social media or to others who may want to donate. Also, check out our own social media for updates and other resources.
