The Boeing-built Moon Rovers have won a major position in Washington state

The three places on the moon are now the official landmarks of Washington State, thanks to a consensus vote by a state commission.

The thumbs-up, issued Friday during a virtual public hearing organized by the Washington State Advisory Council on Historical Conservation, gave Boeing state-of-the-art status to rovers built in facilities sent by Kent, Wash, and NASA in the 1960s. To the moon for Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions.

King County Granted similar status a year ago, But 9-0 votes of the State Commission – The corona virus outbreak was delayed by several months – Really takes the labels to the next level. Rover sites are now eligible for listing Washington Heritage Record.

California and New Mexico set the precedent for announcing signs on the moon. Those states claimed ownership of the Apollo 11 site because of their association with the numerous artefacts left on the peace site.

Expands Washington State’s range of contacts with rovers Lunar Milestone Places Hadley-Apennine area (Apollo 15 in 1971), Descartes Highlands (Apollo 16 in 1972) and Taurus-Litro area (Apollo 17 in 1972).

In ILoveKent’s report at Friday’s hearing, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph quoted Rovers as saying to his city, “We are very proud of our community and continue to innovate in Kent.”

The new focus draws attention not only to past contributions to the Kent space initiative, but also to current contributions to lunar exploration Blue look, Kent-based space initiative founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

“It was also an inspiration to our young students,” Ralph said. “It’s a recognition of ingenuity and innovation that gives us the opportunity to tell this historical story.”

Friday’s action does not provide additional legal protection for lunar sites, and the federal government does not have the process to create national monuments on the moon. In fact, the 1967 Space Agreement rejects the claim to national ownership of the lunar territory. However, the preservation of historical sites and artifacts on the moon One of the requirements of the Artemis treaty, Which countries must agree to join NASA’s Artemis moon program.

Astronauts and history buffs can’t see the signs right now, but you don’t have to go to the moon to see the lunar rover: Seattle’s Air Museum Boeing-built engineering mogul on display, And the city of Kent a Rover’s child-friendly moccasin Built to house a park.