The New Mexico Museum of Space History recently welcomed delegates from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) during their Next Steps 2025 conference. The event, led by Dr. Beth O’Leary, took place at New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. Delegates from the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Aerospace Heritage (ISCoAH) explored the museum's exhibits, which highlight New Mexico’s contributions to space exploration, including early rocket tests at White Sands and Apollo missions.
Dr. Beth O’Leary, a College Professor Emerita of Anthropology at NMSU and a pioneer in space archaeology, organized the tour. Her work began in 2000 when she was inspired by a student's question about lunar preservation laws. This led to her mission to protect historic lunar sites like Apollo 11’s Tranquility Base, now listed as an archaeological site in New Mexico’s Archaeological Records Management System.
New Mexico Secretary of Cultural Affairs Debra Garcia y Griego and Jon Haas, Chair of the New Mexico Museum of Space History Governor’s Commission, welcomed the delegation. Haas is a recent NASA retiree with a career as Principal Engineer at NASA Engineering and Safety Center at Johnson Space Center’s White Sands Test Facility.
Dr. O’Leary expressed gratitude for Haas's support: "This would not have been possible without the assistance of Jon Haas... It was wonderful to see the storage facilities of the museum, especially the LEM, which Jon Haas secured." The Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) was used during Apollo missions to land astronauts on the Moon.
The visit underscores the museum's significance as ISCoAH successfully nominated the Moon as a 2025 World Monuments Watch site due to its urgent preservation challenges. The museum also features LA 2,000,000, marking where Apollo astronauts landed on July 20, 1969.
The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs is proud that Dr. O’Leary and her committee affirmed New Mexico’s leadership in aerospace heritage through this international recognition.
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