Astronauts descend upon Cherry Creek

Jerry Cunningham, Publisher

In celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the first moon landing, Hyde Park Jewelers and Swiss watch brand OMEGA hosted an exclusive Apollo 11 exhibit at Denver’s Cherry Creek Shopping Center. Yep, the same Apollo missions that Tom Hanks made even more memorable.
It’s hard to fathom that 45 years ago on July 20, 1969, they first stepped foot on the moon, but even more remarkable was shaking hands and speaking with a few of astronauts who were part of the history-making missions — Gemini and Apollo Astronauts Captain Eugene Cernan, Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford, and former NASA engineer Jim Ragan. Speaking with each of them was quite unbelievable and awe inspiring. They talked about their missions as if they happened yesterday, but then shared that on December 7, 1972, Apollo 17 was the final mission of the United States’ Apollo Lunar Landing Program, making it the sixth and last landing of humans on the moon.

The event included exhibits of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, Apollo 10 Space Suit, Sojourner Mars Rover, and Speedmaster Watch Historical Collection.

So, what was the astronauts’ tie to a watch exhibit? The answer was more than I bargained for. Captain Eugene Cernan elaborately explained that each mission’s fate depended on exact timing and how a rocket’s trajectory both leaving and returning through the earth’s atmosphere, would not be possible without precise timing and strict calculations. And it is the world’s most famous chronograph, the OMEGA Speedmaster that NASA has trusted every single one of its piloted space flights — from Gemini in the mid-1960s to the current International Space Station program.

Meeting stars is one thing, but to meet celebrities made famous by stars is quite another — a truly once in a lifetime, phenomenal experience!

Check it out for yourself! Here’s more about the Speedmaster OMEGA and Hyde Park Jewelers.