Armstrong’s hair among artefacts in new Kolkata space museum

Indian astronaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma inside prototype Indian space suit, age 69 year. Pic/Getty Images

A galaxy of exhibits - from strands of Neil Armstrong's hair to rocks from the moon and Mars - await enthusiasts at this new "one-of-its-kind" museum of astronomy and space science.

The 1,200-artefact-strong repository, which has come up on the premises of the Indian Centre for Space Physics here, also features rare documents like handwritten diaries and notes of eminent scientists and Nobel laureates, Director of ICSP Professor Sandip Kumar Chakrabarti said. Spread over 7,000 square feet, the museum was inaugurated by Rakesh Sharma, the celebrated first Indian astronaut to venture into space, on Friday.

"This is a one-of-its-kind gallery because such a collection is unheard of for any other museum in India. There are many repositories with numerous exhibits dedicated to air and space, but none with so much astronomical content," Chakrabarti claimed. "The key exhibits include hair strands of Armstrong (the first person to walk on the moon), the aircraft of the Wright brothers, handwritten notes and autographs of eminent astronauts and scientists," he said.

1,200
No of artefacts in the museum

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