The State Historical Society of Missouri

The early history of the United States space program will be examined by author Tahir Rahman during his program “Reaching for the Moon: How the Gemini Project Culminated in Apollo 11” on Saturday, February 21, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. in The State Historical Society of Missouri Conference Room.  Rahman will discuss the aspects of Project Gemini that made possible the Apollo missions and fulfilling President John F. Kennedy’s goal of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth,” as well as his book, We Came in Peace for All Mankind: The Untold Story of the Apollo 11 Silicon Disc.

            Tahir Rahman is a Johns Hopkins University-trained psychiatrist who practices in Leawood, Kansas, but who has always maintained an interest in space history.  Although he had previously studied many artifacts and documents related to the space program, it was his access to the Apollo 11 silicon disc that inspired him to write We Came in Peace for All Mankind.  The disc, containing messages of peace and hope from world leaders, was left on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men to walk on the moon’s surface.

            “Reaching for the Moon” is free and open to the public and is presented in conjunction with The St. Louis Gemini Story, an exhibit containing photos, documents, and editorial cartoons related to NASA’s Gemini program currently on display in the Society’s North-South Corridor Gallery. The State Historical Society of Missouri is located in Ellis Library at the intersection of Hitt Street and Lowry Mall on the University of Missouri campus, with parking available in three nearby garages.