NAVAL AVIATION IN SPACE

The genesis of the PAX Museum’s Space Exhibit was a major donation from former Astronaut James Lovell, Jr., a former test pilot at the Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland who donated a lunar sample brought back from the Moon. In addition, Lovell donated several other amazing artifacts including a patch flown around the Moon on Apollo 13 and several additional items flown on previous Gemini space flights.

Come see our scale model (1/10th actual size) of the Space Shuttle ‘Discovery’ that formerly was on display at the Lyndon Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  Learn about space flight and the many other ways the US Navy has supported the national space program since its inception.


Lunar sample 62255 consists of 65% pristine ferroan anorthosite and 35% dark, finely crystalline melt (breccia).

It was retrieved by Apollo 16 astronauts John Young, Commander, and Charles Duke Jr., Lunar Module Pilot, during the first 7 hour, 11 minute moon walk EVA on 21 April 1972.

The lunar module landed in the Descartes region in the highland region of the Moon’s southeast quadrant, characterized by hilly, grooved, furrowed terrain.

It was selected as an outstanding location for sampling two volcanic constructional units of the highlands - the Cayley formation and the Kant Plateau.

How we received our Lunar Sample!

Astronaut Je Edwards signing our Space Shuttle artifact