Visitors to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! are used to seeing oddities at the weirdest attraction in Orlando, this is after all where you can explore the unusual and come face-to-face with a genuine shrunken head, encounter extraordinary people, and do a double take of animal oddities.
At the International Drive location of the world famous Ripley’s Believe It or Not, you can marvel at hundreds of rare and unusual artifacts and the latest exhibit truly is out of this world!
Back in 2019, worldwide news broke about the ‘lost’ Apollo 11 moonwalk reels selling at auction for $1.82 million – that had officially been deemed “erased and reused” by NASA in 2006.
At the time the buyer remained anonymous, until now...
The actual reels that features Neil Armstrong’s famous “one giant leap for mankind” moment, a lunar gravity demonstration by Buzz Aldrin, and the moment Armstrong and Aldrin planted an American flag on the moon are now proudly on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando, in the attraction’s all-new Out of This World gallery.
In 2019, worldwide news broke about the ‘lost’ Apollo 11 moonwalk reels selling at auction for $1.82 million – officially deemed “erased and reused” by NASA in 2006.
The case of the missing film reels is a true Believe It or Not! story. In 1976, a young intern at NASA named Gary George attended a government auction where he paid $217.77 for three truckloads of reels. In the process of selling some and donating others, George came across a few reels labeled “Space Secret” and decided to hang onto them for safekeeping. It wasn’t until NASA’s announcement years later that he realized what he had.
The two hours and 24 minutes of “unrestored, unenhanced, and unremastered” footage features: Neil Armstrong’s lunar declaration, a solar wind experiment, and a lunar gravity demonstration by Buzz Aldrin. They also record the moment Armstrong and Aldrin planted the American flag on the moon as well as a long-distance phone call with President Richard Nixon.
Many things distinguish these tapes from network television broadcast copies. Not only are they among the only surviving first-generation recordings of the Apollo 11 expedition, but their image quality is sharper and more distinct.
“Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is honored to be a part of giving this near-tragic tale of lost media a happily ever after,” said Ripley’s Exhibits Director, John Corcoran. “These tapes are a pivotal part of history. We are proud to be the stewards of such an iconic artifact and are excited to be able to tell their unbelievable story.”
Visitors to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Orlando can now see these historic tapes, among many other unique space exhibits, in the attraction’s new Out of This World gallery.
For an out of this world experience, guests can touch a 3,197-pound meteorite or a piece of Mars, and even get hands on with a pair of gloves to work in a vacuum, as an astronaut would in space.
The pièce de résistance – aside from the original Star Wars Lightsaber used by Luke Skywalker: a 16-foot-tall interactive video wall that will also stream live launches.
Learn more about the Apollo 11 moon landing and these amazing, historical tapes at Ripleys.com.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is where truth is always stranger than fiction and the unbelievable comes alive right before your very eyes!
The 10,0000-square foot International Drive location actually looks like it's falling into a Florida sinkhole!
Explore the unusual and fascinating exhibits collected by the world-famous traveler Robert Ripley to be amazed, astounded, and—most of all—entertained!
Marvel at the curiosities Ripley’s started collecting more than 100 years ago.
Stop at our wax hands exhibit to create one truly unique souvenir. Come face-to-face with a genuine shrunken head, encounter extraordinary people, and do a double take of animal oddities.
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