Orbits and Pieces
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What Is It?
Orbits and Pieces, a space art sculpture, includes two titanium tanks and three fuel lines, surplus components originally engineered for the Apollo missions. After the successful moon landing of Apollo 11, the Apollo 18, 19 and 20 missions were cancelled and the tanks were no longer needed.
Did You Know?
Space hardware can be beautiful. Dale William Cox Jr., a retired naval officer and 1959 Mercury astronaut candidate, bought the hardware from a scrap metal shop. He picked up the metal pieces back in 1970, when NASA decided to cut the Apollo moon program short. His wife, an artist, transformed the shimmery space junk into beautiful garden decorations.
Artist: NASA
Medium: Fuel tanks and steel
Date: Installed in November of 2012
Take a Look
Where Is It?
Orbits and Pieces is located in front of the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.
Location
Space art sculpture once destined for the moon.
