Aldrin to open exhibit at Honk Kong museum

HONG KONG, June 12 (UPI) -- Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon, has agreed to open a special exhibition at the Hong Kong Space Museum.

The museum and OMEGA will show a collection of space and moon landing memorabilia in Hong Kong for the first time in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing, representatives from both organizations said Friday.

"Beyond Time" will feature items such as spacesuits, instruments, flight plans, cameras, OMEGA Speedmaster watches and other exhibits, all of which were used by National Aeronautic Space Administration astronauts and personnel in their exploration of space.

Aldrin, a member of the famous Apollo 11 mission and the second man to walk on the moon -- after Neil Armstrong -- is to appear at the museum to open the exhibit June 19. He will officiate alongside National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aerospace Engineer James Ragan, Chan Ki-Hung, the museum's curator, and Stephen Urquhart, president of OMEGA.

"After successfully exhibiting displays of the Shenzhou VII manned space mission and first spacewalk by Chinese astronauts, honoring the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing will continue the Hong Kong Space Museum's commitment to communicating the wonder and awe of space exploration to the public," Chan said in a statement.

"We are delighted to support the exhibition of these items in Hong Kong for the first time as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, one of man's most monumental technical achievements," said Urquhart.