Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 45 2014 /201 5 73 Captain Lovell, command pilot of Apollo 8 flew to Bozeman to visit with Harrington, and he is confident Dennis can do justice to their historic mission. "We're happy Dennis wanted to do this,"Lovell says, speaking on behalf of both Borman and Anders. "Going on that mission was strictly our patriotic duty, so we encouraged him all the way. Dennis is a good sculptor. I've seen his work and he will do a good job." Harrington is working hard to make sure every aspect of the project is perfect. His studio is filled with photos of the three astronauts, and he's sculpting from exact copies of their genuine in-flight suits. Every detail is con- sidered—right down to Lovell's U.S. Naval Academy ring, which he wore in space on every extra-terrestrial flight. Harrington made a plaster cast of Lovell's hand, and will transfer a perfect copy of the ring to the final sculp- ture. What makes this project special is that Apollo 8's entire crew is still alive. so all three astronauts can have input on the sculpture every step of the way. Harrington plans to fund the project by creating scaled 14 inch versions of the finished, life-size piece. "There will be a final edition of 50, marking the 50th Anniversary of the historic flight in 2018," Harrington said. Har- rington is making a gift of 12 to the astronauts (4 each) and another 4 have been pre-sold. There are 34 pieces still available for purchase. The likely final resting place for the sculpture itself will be alongside the Apollo 8 capsule at Chicago's renowned Museum of Science and Industry. Discussions are underway for placement and celebration. Lovell is hoping that by bringing the Apollo 8 mission to the forefront of current events, it will reinforce sup- port for a strong space program. "By installing this statue, Dennis can revive our need for a viable space station," Lovell says. "We are losing our leadership in space. It was a good program for the country." Lovell calls that a win-win situation. "The program didn't cost a lot of money, and had a big impact on scien- tific discovery," Lovell said. "I'm a little disappointed now that we are not proceeding aggressively. I'm looking forward to seeing the sculpture installed next to our module." "The Apollo 8 mission was an accomplishment for America and its core values of progress, courage and high achievement," Harrington added. "And I hope to shine a light on that extraordinary event in our country's history."

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