Fundraisers working to save a Dundee satellite facility are offering up a once-in-a-lifetime prize to meet Buzz Aldrin at the 50th anniversary celebration of the first moon landing.
The VIP ticket, worth US$2,000, will see the winner attend the 50th Anniversary Landing on the Moon Gala Dinner in California on July 13 this year.
All money raised will go towards the £1 million fundraiser to save Dundee Satellite Receiving Station (DSRS), which is being decommissioned after four decades of operation.
Aldrin was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned spaceflight to land on the moon in July 1969.
He was the second man to step on to the moon’s surface after mission commander Neil Armstrong, who famously said at the time “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
The event will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Los Angeles.
Former presidents are rumoured to be attending the event.
The ticket has been donated anonymously to the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) — the oldest space advocacy organisation in the world.
It is hoped the move will contribute significantly towards the ambitious drive to raise £1 million to save DSRS.
More than £3,000 has been raised in a matter of days.
Everyone who donates through the Go Fund Me page will be automatically entered into the prize draw.
The Dundee University facility closed last month after a £338,000 budget cut by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
The university said it was “disappointed” to find out the cash had been cut off and said it could not make up the shortfall.
The station recorded and stored images of Earth taken from orbit and helped to inform scientists of the impact of climate change, as well as monitoring major events such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires.
The package includes complimentary valet parking, admission to a private, VIP, dinner, and a pre-gala meet and greet with Buzz Aldrin, as well as other astronauts and celebrities.
Also included is a photo opportunity while boarding Air Force One, recreating the famous pre-board “wave” of President Ronald Reagan and the First Lady.
The winner will have to arrange their own travel to California.
To find out the full details of the giveaway and the prize, visit the BIS website here.
Donations must be in by June 12, when a winner will be chosen.
