• Kent gets landmark designations for lunar rovers on moon

    By: KIRO 7 News Staff


    The city of Kent received landmark designations Thursday evening for the Apollo lunar rover vehicles that are still on the moon.

    The vehicles were built at the Boeing Space Center in Kent and were used in Apollo missions 15, 16 and 17 in 1971 and 1972.

    Dana Ralph, the city’s mayor, told KIRO 7 before a public hearing in front of the King County Landmarks Commission that it would help future generations understand the historical significance of the rovers.

    "We want the rest of the world to know that Kent has a significant place in the history of our moon exploration," Ralph said.

    The city had put in an application so the Landmarks Commission could decide on whether the vehicles should be designated as historic landmarks.

    Once the lunar rovers were granted the historic status, the city said it celebrated with cake pops and moon pies.    

    Washington is now the third state to have lunar objects included in historic state registers. California and New Mexico were the only two until Thursday.

    "The whole goal right now, if we're watching the current space industry, is to get back to the moon. But we need to make sure we're protecting that history at the same time. Same thing we would do with a local landmark,” Ralph said.

    Scroll down to continue reading

    More news from KIRO 7



    Next Up: