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Science on Tap celebrates moon missions during March 5 talk

February 25, 2015

The monthly Science on Tap discussion will be held March 5 and will feature a presentation by author Loretta Hall called "\Getting Men to the Moon: Behind the Scene Stories."

The talk will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Yanni's, 3109 Central Ave. NE.

Nearly half a century ago, the world watched as seven Apollo missions over a four-year period took 21 men to the moon and back. Twelve of those men landed on the moon, explored it, and brought back samples of rocks and dirt. April 11, 2015, marks the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, in which an explosion aboard the spacecraft nearly doomed three astronauts. This presentation reveals insiders' stories of what it took to overcome challenges and accomplish triumphs in the Apollo program and its predecessors, Mercury and Gemini.

Hall is the author of two space history books. Out of this World: New Mexico’s Contributions to Space Travel recounts the stories of New Mexico people and programs that played crucial roles in the development of manned spaceflight and, more recently, the commercial space industry. Space Pioneers: In Their Own Words presents annotated excerpts from oral history interviews with 90 men and women who worked on various space programs from 1945 through the space shuttle era. Hall is a member of the Historical Society of New Mexico’s Speakers Bureau and a Space Ambassador for the National Space Society.

The next Science on Tap will be April 2 and will feature a talk by Associate Professor Heather Canavan and student Alexandria Maciejewski from the UNM Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Science on Tap is a collaborative effort among Explora, the University of New Mexico, and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.