Britain’s inaugural astronaut, Helen Sharman, has officially unveiled a new space flight museum located at the Grizedale Observatory and Planetarium in the Lake District.
The John Dulcamara Space Flight Museum was launched on Friday following a donation from private collector John Dulcamara. The exhibition boasts an extraordinary array of historical artifacts, most notably a fragment of the command module from the Apollo 11 mission, which successfully landed humans on the moon for the first time in 1969.
Sharman, who made history in 1991 as the first British person to travel to space during her stay on the Mir space station, described the assemblage as “extraordinary.”
“We’ve got bits of Apollo 11, bits from the Russian space programme – it’s just an amazing collection of artefacts from space flight history,” Sharman said. “It tells its own story of space history, but also of the people that went and the items that were important to them. For it to be on show now in this beautiful way, as part of Grizedale Observatory, what a coup for Cumbria.”
The museum’s collection spans thousands of items, ranging from signed photographs and autographs of prominent figures in the space industry to actual components of spacecraft.
Dulcamara revealed that his passion for collecting began three decades ago after he attended a shuttle launch in 1996 and decided to keep the ticket. He expressed hope that visitors would come to explore the extensive display.
Observatory director Gary Fildes noted that Dulcamara initially approached them with samples of his collection, prompting the team to accept the challenge of hosting the exhibits. “We thought: ‘failure is not an option!'” Fildes recalled.
During her visit, Sharman also engaged with local schoolchildren, sharing insights about her scientific experiments and Earth observations conducted aboard Mir. Fildes highlighted the significance of this interaction, stating, “You simply don’t know where an experience like that might lead.”
The Grizedale Observatory, situated near Ambleside in Cumbria, opened its doors to the public in May 2024. It offers access to telescopes, a planetarium, and a meteorite laboratory, while also hosting events such as a dark skies festival.
Did anyone else notice the Russian space artifacts mentioned? The Cold War history in there must be fascinating.
Three decades of collecting resulting in this? John Dulcamara’s dedication is impressive. A true passion project come to life.
I am skeptical about the ticket prices. Hopefully, this doesn’t become just another tourist trap for paying visitors.
Helen Sharman visiting local schools is the real highlight here. We need more inspiration like this for the next generation.
An Apollo 11 fragment in the Lakes? That is absolutely wild. I need to see this before it disappears.