If city officials in Kent have their way, Washington state will have three landmarks that are out of this world. Literally.
This week, the City of Kent will seek landmark designation from King County for the Boeing-built rovers that were left behind on the moon by the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions nearly a half-century ago.
If the King County Landmarks Commission approves the city’s request during a meeting to be held on Thursday at Kent City Hall, the next step will be to pursue state recognition as well.
That would put the Evergreen State alongside California and New Mexico in giving landmark status to objects left on the moon. And although the recognition doesn’t carry much legal weight, it could raise awareness about NASA’s lunar legacy — and the Seattle area’s role in creating that legacy.
“Many people don’t realize that these vehicles are still on the moon today, so we really identified this project as a way to educate about the literal mark our region has made in space,” Kent Mayor Dana Ralph said in a statement. “This is more than just a celebration — it’s a way to profile our region’s role in NASA’s historic Apollo program.”
When you think of Washington’s landmarks, you tend to think of sites within state lines, ranging from Seattle’s Space Needle to Spokane’s Davenport Hotel.
But in 2010, California state officials accepted the argument that objects with a connection to the state could be added to their registry of historical resources, even if they weren’t physically located in the state.
Citing that rationale, they extended historical designation to 106 objects that were left behind by the Apollo 11 mission, on the grounds that California institutions led the way in developing and building the machines that sent astronauts to the moon.
New Mexico followed suit later that year.
Kent officials are taking a different tack: They’re focusing on the lunar rovers that Boeing assembled and tested at the company’s Kent Valley facilities.
Boeing historian Michael Lombardi said it’s fitting to recognize the four-wheeled rovers as part of Washington state’s cultural heritage.
“Kent Valley is rooted in rich aerospace history, due to Boeing’s early presence and a world-class, specialized workforce that continues to develop innovative technology,” Lombardi said in a statement. “This region’s impact on space exploration has global significance, and we’re ready to honor the achievements of these Lunar Roving Vehicles and their brilliant engineers.”
Assuming that their application to King County is successful, backers of the preservation plan say they’ll seek to have the rovers added to the Washington Heritage Register.
These designations are purely symbolic, but the added recognition could smooth the way for getting the Apollo landing locations recognized internationally as U.N. World Heritage Sites. That’s the ultimate goal of a group called For All Moonkind, which seeks to preserve the Apollo sites and other lunar locales for posterity.
For All Moonkind is also supporting the One Small Step Act, which would extend federal protection to the Apollo landing sites and impose fines on those who disturb them. The Senate unanimously approved its version of the measure last week, and companion legislation has just been introduced in the House.
Today, the issue of disturbing lunar landing sites may seem hypothetical, but it could become a real concern when commercial ventures start sending spacecraft to the lunar surface. For example, a German venture called PTScientists is partnering with Audi, Vodafone and Nokia to send a rover to the moon and inspect the Apollo 17 landing site by as early as 2021.
The PTScientists team, which has been going through some financial difficulties lately, promises to work with NASA engineers to make sure the rover doesn’t damage the site. But measures like the One Small Step Act — and, arguably, the state historical designations — should provide added incentives for future moon buggies to follow the rules of the road.