Plaque, Memorial, Apollo 15, Fallen Astronauts and Cosmonauts, Reproduction

This is a replica of a plaque commemorating fourteen U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died prior to the flight of Apollo 15 in 1971. The original plaque was placed on the Moon's surface by Apollo 15 commander Dave Scott in August 1971, to accompany a miniature sculpture of a human figure.The memorial plaque and statuette were left there without publicity. During the Apollo 16 launch broadcast on April 16, 1972, CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite revealed their existence as the first art on the Moon.Paul Van Hoeydonck donated the replica plaque to the Museum in 1972.