ANZEC Members attend historic ECAD - 10 Apollo Astronauts

Living legends, astronauts, engineers and other extraordinary guests gathered last Saturday night (March 16) for the 115th Explorers Club Annual Dinner in New York City. The event celebrated the pioneers of space exploration as the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing draws closer.

This upcoming summer, the first human footprints on the lunar surface will turn 50. The historic Apollo 11 mission captivated the world’s attention and imagination; millions watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin make their marks in the dusty regolith as Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. This event not only celebrated the achievements of Apollo 11, but all of the missions of the Apollo Project and the incredible progress that has been made in spaceflight over the last 50 years. The event will gathered ten astronauts who flew on these courageous missions all together in the same room — and the conversations that they shared was historic in itself.

The Explorers Club Annual Dinner was held at Marriott Marquis in Times Square and four members and there partners of the Australia and New Zealand Chapter of The Explorers Club were there to witness this historic event.

In attendance was

• Buzz Aldrin – Apollo 11

• Michael Collins – Apollo 11

• Walt Cunningham – Apollo 7

• Charlie Duke – Apollo 16

• Fred Haise – Apollo 13

• Jim Lovell – Apollo 8 & 13

• Harrison Schmitt – Apollo 17

• Rusty Schweickart – Apollo 8

• Tom Stafford – Apollo 10

• Al Worden – Apollo 15

During the Event Explorers Medals were presented too

• Kenneth Lacovara – The Explorers Club Medal

• Michael Eliot Bart & the RCA Centennial Expedition Team – Citation of Merit

• Jame McClintock – The Finn Ronne Memorial Award

• Milbry C Polk – The Edward C Sweeney Memorial Medal

• Ian R Mangiardi – The New Explorer Award