International committee on aerospace heritage meets at NMSU for first U.S. conference

New Mexico State University and the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium recently hosted a weeklong conference for an international committee formed to preserve and protect aerospace artifacts – its first held in the United States.

New Mexico Cultural Affairs Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego was on hand to welcome to the committee to New Mexico at NMSU's Lee Sugarman Building, home to the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium.

"It was an honor for the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium to host the International Scientific Committee on Aerospace Heritage," said Paulo Oemig, director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium. "This commission plays a vital role in recognizing that space heritage, whether on Earth or beyond, is part of our shared human story. Preserving space artifacts and cultural landscapes ensures that future generations understand the ingenuity, sacrifice and global collaboration that made space exploration possible."

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) International Scientific Committee on Aerospace Heritage (ISCoAH) gathering included presentations and discussions at NMSU facilities as well as field trips to Spaceport America and the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Earlier this year, the committee saw its efforts come to fruition when the World Monuments Fund announced its 2025 Watch list of heritage sites facing major challenges. This year's 25 locations span five continents and now also includes the moon. The fund created a video to support this endeavor.

"It's the first time the World Monuments Fund has recognized heritage on another celestial body," said O'Leary. "We were very excited that they chose our nomination to place the moon on its 2025 Watch as part of the process for placing lunar preservation into an international framework."

The conference focused on the committee's next efforts in space heritage preservation. Milford Wayne Donaldson, former chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and ICOMOS ISCoAH member, delivered the keynote speech "Next Steps To Boldly Go. . . The Preservation of California's Aerospace Cultural Resources."

The conference in Las Cruces brought committee members to NMSU, where the seed of protecting artifacts on the moon was planted 25 years ago with a student's question in a class taught by Beth O'Leary, NMSU anthropology professor emeritus and a pioneer in the field of space archaeology and heritage. O'Leary spearheaded the conference and NMSU's Department of Anthropology provided space and technological support for the various meetings and presentations.

"They gave presentations on various subjects ranging from a paper on the artifacts on Venus, to a paper from a participant in France about aviation clothing, beginning with the earliest aviators to the suits that the astronauts wear in space today," O'Leary said. "Younger colleagues – one from Italy and one from Kansas – are among the new wave of planetary geoarchaeologists who presented at the conference."

Justin Holcomb and Luca Forassiepi gave presentations about planetary geoarchaeology in the context of ongoing and future research. The term "planetary geoarchaeology" is a concept that has emerged as a course of study over the last few years, combining geoarchaeology with planetary science, to research the interactions between humans or human-made artifacts and the environments on other celestial bodies, focusing on space heritage.

Another pioneer in the field of space archeology, Alice Gorman, gave three presentations at the conference about "United Nations and Outer Space," "Orbital Heritage, Vanguard 1" and about women who were hidden figures as the creators of astronaut footwear for the Apollo missions. Gorman, a professor at Flinders University in Australia, was a co-principal investigator on the "International Space Station Archaeological project," with Justin Walsh, a professor at Chapman University in California. In 2022, the team performed the first archaeology off the Earth and won numerous awards.

Other topics included: Lunar Heritage Preservation and the Archaeological Potential for Space Exploration Studies, the Antarctic Treaty System, American Aerospace Endeavors and an update on the World Monuments Fund.

ICOMOS ISCoAH's first conference was in Paris. The New Mexico conference is its second meeting. O'Leary said the third conference will be in China.

"By welcoming this group to our campus, we reaffirm New Mexico's leadership in aerospace research, education and heritage preservation, a legacy that began with pioneers like Dr. Beth O'Leary and continues today," Oemig said. "Initiatives such as the Lunar Legacy Project and the designation of Tranquility Base in New Mexico's archaeological records highlight the cultural significance of humanity's first steps on the moon and underscore why these efforts matter.

"The moon is not just a celestial body; it's a cultural landscape. As we explore the universe and send probes to distant worlds, we need to be good stewards, not only of the moon and Mars, but of every place our ingenuity takes us. It's up to us to protect humanity's future here on Earth and in our spacefaring journey." 

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/international-committee-on-aerospace-heritage-meets-at-nmsu-for-first-u.s.-conference/s/325f57ec-4400-4d74-9503-886ba5870e28