Sponsored by:

Events:

Project Apollo
Destination Moon

Las Cruces and Alamogordo NM
celebrate the 40^th Anniversary
of the Apollo program

First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.
—John F. Kennedy

This series of commemorative rocket launch flights are staged by FLARE, the Fellowship of Las Cruces Area Rocketry Enthusiasts. We will launch scale models of both Historic White Sands rocketships, and Apollo era spacecraft.

Find out about the completed Apollo 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 10, Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and Apollo 13 events. See and print the Schedule of Events (PDF)

Apollo 13 commemoration
Sat. April 17^th 2010
Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson Kansas

Honoring the Mission - Apollo 13

As Remembered by Duane Lanterman, editor of The Kosmonaut, the newsletter for the Kansas Organization for Spacemodeling (KOSMO).

The emails were hot and heavy for weeks between KOSMO members and Dave Kovar of FLARE in New Mexico. He was heading to Kansas to be part of Honoring the Mission, the 40^th anniversary of Apollo 13 at the Kansas Cosmosphere and space center. With him would be his outstanding model of the Saturn V and it's launch complex as well as a Mercury Redstone and Gemini Titan. The main go-between was KOSMO member John Palmer who linves in Hutchinson. He made many contacts with the Cosmosphere and gradually the schedule and site were set. Dave rolled into Kansas on Wed. April 14^th. He was met by his brother Steve who had driven in from Kentucky. Steve had gotten Dave into rockets way back when.

Thursday morning Steve and Dave along with KOSMO members Duane Lanterman, Keith Raverstein, John Palmer and the Zonger family were given a first class tour of Space Works in west Hutchinson by Cosmosphere collections manager Meredith Miller. In these unassuming buildings sit an amazing collection of space memorabilia, some in great shape, some just sitting on Shelves as-is.. There were the workshops where dedicated workers build and shape space craft for the local museum, museums throughout the world and for movie makers like Tom Hanks's movie Apollo 13. For a model rocketeer this is pure heaven. Where else can you touch a radioactive nuclear missile. (Okay, so I didn't know until after Meredith told us.) Back to the Cosmosphere, we got to tour the area where Space Camp takes place. Very cool indeed ....

Thursday evening Dave, Steve, and John set up an amazing display of model rockets highlighting both KOSMO and FLARE in the Cosmosphere below the SR71 hanging from the Ceiling. Visitors on Friday, especially a large number of school groups enjoyed the display. Friday evening several LOSMO members joined Dave, Steve, and John for a sold-out viewing of the movie The Wonder of it All at the IMAX theater.

Saturday morning dawned with clear if cool skies. On my trip up to the Hutch the thermometer showed about 36 degrees as we rolled through Lyons around 6:30. We arrived at the Cosmosphere parking lot a little before 8:00 and shortly afterwards my wife Sharon and I were joined by Mark Johnson, Ron Shipley, Steve Saner and his wife, and Linton and Peter Bayless. We headed over to the football field and found Dave and Steve beginning to set up the pads and launch controller. The clock clicked by very quickly and soon a crowd began to form an the east side of the field. I marveled as person after person had thier pictures taken with the Saturn V and launch complex. Usually, one finds the modeler posing alone with his rocket, but here grandparents, parents, and kids all wanted to be in the picture.

At 9:00 the PA welcomed the crowd of some 350 people, thanks were given to the appropriate people for organizing the event, and then the words of John F. Kennedy echoed through the stadium, "I belive that before this decade is out ...". We were back in the 60's and America had dreams. Within 15 minutes the crowd witnessed the flawless launch of the Mercury Redstone, Gemini Titan, and finally the Saturn V. The actual final minute of countdown at the cape of the Apollo 13 mission was played over the PA, the white room retracted from the rocket, the smoke from pyrotechnics rolled from the pad, and at T -0 the E15 motor launched the Saturn V into the air. The rockets all landed within the football field, the Mercury and Saturn V capsules landed on or near the former flower shop across the street. With the aid of a pole-vault bar I retreived the "Mercury crew" from the roof and, thanks to the locksmith work of Peri Saner, we recovered the "Apollo 13 crew" from within the fence of the former flower shop.

We then headed to the Sports Arena to hear the Mission Control specialists tell thier stories. On stage were Gunter Wendt, Joe Kerwin, Gene Krantze, Gerry Griffin, Sy Liebergot, Milton Wendler, Jack Lousma, Ed Fendell, Jerry Bostick, and moderator Andrew Chalkin. The talk ran about an hour, with interesting insights, some humor (One of the speakers asked "before I begin, tell me: do I look as old as all of these other guys?", and in answering a question from the the audience, a deciededly nega- tive response to the recent changes to the manned space program by the Obama administration.)

The roundtable talk was followed by an autograph session that was a delight. Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise joined the group and as the faithful passed down the line, found each of the men friendly, personable, and eager to visit with us and sign our memorabilia.

For most of us the day (although not the enthusuasm) ended at this point. Some members took in the Apollo 13 movie at the IMAX. Steve and Dave Kovar took in the evening's activities including the gala dinner and VIP event. It was truly a day to remember. It was truly an honor to be a part of Honoring the Mission.

The mission volunteers.

Full scale rockets out front of the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center.

Gene Krantz signs a poster as his wife Marta looks on.

Cosmosphere page on the special event: 40th Anniversary of Apollo 13 at Cosmosphere.