Patriotic Moon Men

Appleton, Wisconsin

Why is there a sculpture of the three Apollo 11 astronauts at the entrance to Appleton International Airport?

NASA's pioneering moon men have no connection to Appleton except through the imagination of local car dealer John Bergstrom, who commissioned the artwork in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing (It arrived a year late).

The full-color moon men, dressed in their spacesuits, gaze skyward while holding golden helmets and an American flag. Bergstrom told the local newspaper that the message behind the sculpture was, "You can do anything if you get an education." Airport director Abe Weber said that the artwork "celebrates human nature's feat over fear," and he noted that the four roads at Appleton International Airport were all named for Space Shuttles. Apollo and the Space Shuttle were both NASA programs so, close enough.