#123. Space Archaeology: Preserving Artifacts on the Moon

Beth O’Leary is a Professor Emerita at New Mexico State University, whose areas of interest include both cultural anthropology and archaeology. She is one of the creators and experts in Space Archaeology and Heritage, investigating the heritage status of the Apollo 11 Tranquility Base site on the Moon. In 2010, she and colleagues successfully nominated objects and structures at the Tranquility Base to the State Registers of Cultural Properties in both California and New Mexico. Her books include: The Final Mission: Preserving NASA’s Apollo Sites (co-authored with L.Westwood and M.W. Donaldson in 2017), (2015) The Archaeology and Heritage of the Human Movement into Space (co-edited with, P.J. Capelotti, in 2015); and The Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology and Heritage (co-edited with A. Darrin, CRC Taylor, and Francis Press in 2009). Dr. O’Leary has chaired five international symposia on Space Archaeology and Heritage. Dr. O’Leary has also conducted research on Athapaskan cultures in Canada and the U.S. Recorded 11/17/20.