The year 1969 marked the monumental landmark in the Space Race with Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon.  This rare raised relief Lunar globe commemorates that accomplishment.   Displayed in 3-D realistic detail the mysterious Far side is revealed!  The orb is petitioned by the meridian with the Far side denoted in black and the Earth side in white.  The globe is placed on an acrylic base  and identified on the orb : Educational Frontiers, Inc.  copyright 1969 Patent Pending. The first images of the far side of the moon were taken in 1959 by the Soviet Luna 3 but the images were crude and grainy, subsequent space probes succeeded in photographing the Far side in much greater detail by 1967.  It wasn't until the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 that astronauts orbited the moon in preparation for the Apollo 11 moon landing that saw the far side for the first time with human eyes.  The Soviets released a lunar globe from the compilation of photographs in 1967 that was 95 percent complete.  After the Moon landing in 1969 NASA commissioned a Lunar globe that was produced by the Denoyer-Geppert Co.  Neither of these were a raised relief. This topographical globe was only produced in a limited edition.  The head of the Hayden Planetarium pronounced it "one of the finest celestial models he had ever seen."  So much so that CBS bought exclusive rights to use it for TV simulations on Walter Cronkite's coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Description: The orb measures 13 inches in diameter and is made from a plastic-bakelite material.  The approximate height including clear acrylic stand is 20 inches. Condition: This lunar globe is extremely well preserved with no cracks, scuffing, or soiling. The base does have minimal wear to the edges of the lucite feet. Well packed this artifact will ship for $18 domestic, $32 international (most countries). SKU #815EDUMOON69 - SOLD