The moon was never as close to Slovenians as it is now. And the best part? You don’t need to put on a space suit! You just need to take a short car ride to Center Noordung in Vitanje, where you can admire the 3.75 billion year-old lunar sample from the Apollo 17 mission that returned to Earth in 1972. This is the first lunar sample to ever visit Slovenia. And to make it even more interesting, the lunar sample is accompanied by a life-sized replica of the space suit worn by Neil Armstrong during his historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Ambassador Blanchard was extremely pleased to open the exhibit, joined by Minister for Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek, the Mayor of Vitanje Slavko Vetrih and Director of Center Noordung Dominik Kobold—all of whom agreed that this is one of the most unique exhibits on space exploration that Slovenia has ever seen. These incredible exhibits are the result of a remarkable collaboration between NASA, the US Embassy in Slovenia, the US Mission to the UN in Vienna, and Center Noordung. As the Ambassador said in her remarks, the moon rock and Commander Armstrong’s suit are not just exhibits in a museum—they are, individually and collectively, monuments to what we can achieve when we work as a team. And they also tell us that through cooperation, hard work, and dedication to a better future, we can reach the very stars above. You are cordially invited to visit the moon and take a photo with our space suit–or just enjoy admiring the rest of what Center Noordung has to offer. Don’t wait too long! The suit is only with us until early November!
Ambassador Blanchard’s Remarks at the Moon Rock and Space Suit Exhibition Opening
Photo courtesy by Luka Dakskobler
