In 1971, the Salyut program launched the world's very first space station, Salyut 1, offering a permanent presence in space to run experiments and make astronomical observations. Over the next 15 years, the Soviet Union launched a number of stations, culminating in Salyut 7. This new station offered insights into outer space and how life interacts with extended stays in zero g.

Salyut 7 is perhaps best known for being the first dead space station to be brought back to working order. A fuel leak had caused an electrical failure, rendering the space station inert, but in 1985, the Soyuz T-13 mission was able to restore power and allow Salyut 7 to continue operating for just over a year, when it was succeeded by the Mir station.

This specimen is a fragment of the space station, recovered after re-entry impact in Argentina.

The Apollo program was conceived during President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration and later dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's goal of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" within a decade.

President Kennedy proposed this bold agenda during an address to the United States Congress on May 25th, 1961. On July 20, 1969, NASA fulfilled the mission when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon. This was the 11th flight of the Apollo program, and the success was broadcast live to the entire world.

This specimen is an actual, mission-flown fragment of Kapton foil from the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia. This material helped protect Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their journey from Earth to the Moon and back. Salvaged after splashdown, this is a unique collectible from one of the greatest achievements in human history.