A veteran professor is seeking to save the Apollo 11 moon-landing site, among others, suggesting it be designated a National Historic Landmark, USA Today reports.
Beth O'Leary, professor emeritus of anthropology at New Mexico State University, will speak later this week at the National Geographic Society and at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., on the 48th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, where she will launch her latest book, "The Final Mission: Preserving NASA's Apollo Sites."
The book, written with Milford Wayne Donaldson, looks at space exploration from an archaeological perspective. It focuses on how different locations in New Mexico, California, Texas and Florida added to the success of the mission.
O'Leary pushes the need to preserve these areas and the landing-site at Tranquility Base, where humans first set foot on the moon. She suggests that the lunar site be added to the World Heritage List for having "outstanding universal value."
"The Apollo astronauts knew they were taking a giant leap for mankind," O'Leary told USA Today. "But they probably did not realize they were creating a lunar legacy that needs to be preserved for future generations."
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