On Saturday afternoon, November 12, engage with the panel session The Trek Connection: How Gene Roddenberry Changed the World. Special guests will be David Stipes, Emmy award winning special effects expert, Bill Craft, author of Maybe We Need A Letter From God, and potentially David Gerrold author of Star Trek’s most famous episode The Trouble With Tribbles. Museum Executive Director Chris Orwoll will be the panel moderator. The panel sessions will be held in the New Horizons Theater on the campus of the museum at 1:00 and 3:00. Advance tickets are $10 each and may be purchased on the museum’s website. A limited number of seats are available for each session.
That evening, Gene Roddenberry will be inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame at the Museum. The Induction Ceremony will be held in conjunction with the celebration of the museum’s 40th Anniversary and will feature Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt as guest speaker. Schmitt was one of the last men, and only scientist, to walk on the moon and is a 1977 Inductee into the International Space Hall of Fame. He attended the museum’s dedication ceremony in 1976 and has remained a strong supporter of the facility. David Stipes and Bill Kraft will speak in honor of Roddenberry.
Dubbed “Cowboys & Astronauts”, the Anniversary Celebration and Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 12 beginning at 6 pm inside the museum. Tickets are on sale now. The cost for non-members is $45 per person or $85 per couple. The cost for museum members is $40 per person or $80 per couple. Purchase tickets online at the museum’s website or contact the museum at (575) 437-2840. There will be no on-site autograph sessions. There will be a cash bar and a silent auction featuring a number of autographed items.
Following the dinner and Induction Ceremony, the new Roddenberry Induction Gallery and Star Trek Exhibit will be officially opened. The gallery features several items on loan to the museum from the Smithsonian, plus several items on loan from collectors. One of the highlights of the gallery is sure to be the “transporter”, a replica of the one used on the original TV series.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at: www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum
PHOTO CUTLINES: Gene Roddenberry, center, discusses the make-up of Talosian “Keeper” Meg Wylie with Robert Justman, assistant director, on the set of Star Trek’s premier episode The Cage. Photo courtesy TrekCore.com.