Monday, July 20, 2009

Map Exhibit Commemorates Lunar Landing Anniversary

Ball State University Libraries Commemorates Lunar Landing Anniversary with Maps

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library is featuring a special exhibit of the National Geographic The Earth’s Moon map from 1976 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. This map was reprinted from a 1969 version and shows the location of the historic Apollo 11 landing site on July 20, 1969, and other landing sites. (Click the map image above to enlarge).

The GRMC includes several maps of the moon and other planets. The National Geographic map reveals the two hemispheres of the moon. The names of craters and historic photographs of the moon’s surface are shown on the verso of the map. Another map in the GRMC is a map of the moon originally drawn by T. Gwyn Elger called Philips Map of the Moon from 1969.

The U.S. Army Map Service produced a pictorial lunar map in 1963 that is also available for researchers visiting the GRMC. The GRMC includes sets of topographic maps of the moon produced by the Army Map Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Topographic maps of Mars are also available. A Map of the Heavens in the GRMC was produced by the National Geographic Society in 1957, prior to the lunar landing. Planetary Maps: Maps to Help You find Your Way around on the Moon and Mars and on Some of Earth’s Neighboring Planets and their Satellites was produced in 1991 for those planning more distant travels around the solar system. Other maps in the GRMC detail the geology of the solar system.

For more information about these maps or any other cartographic resources from Ball State University Libraries, please contact the GRMC at 765/285-1097.

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