In only one more day, it will have been fifty years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their historic steps on the moon. We have several photos in the collection of NASA astronauts training at the Tropic Survival School at Albrook Air Force Base in the Canal Zone, one of which features Aldrin eating boa constrictor.

Do you have any information about astronauts in the Canal Zone?

Buzz Aldrin eating boa constrictor, 1964

Astronaut Walter Schirra reaches for food offered by Air Force instructor H. Morgan Smith. Foreground, from left: Astronauts John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Donald Slayton, Elliot See. Behind Schirra, from left: Astronauts Gus Grissom, Frank Borman, Pete Conrad, Alan Shepard. Undated

John Glenn samples a bite of jungle cooking as Scott Carpenter checks his reaction, 1963

Russel L. Schweickart hacks a canteen from a section of bamboo, 1964

In celebration of the upcoming 50^th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon landing, please enjoy this signed copy of Earthrise from the collection, donated by Bill Anders and Bob Gibson. The photograph is an image of Earth taken on December 24, 1968 while Apollo 8 was in lunar orbit. The photographer, astronaut Bill Anders, signed the copy in recognition of his grandfather, Thomas Adams, Roosevelt Medal holder #5415.

What memories do you have of the Apollo missions? How did people celebrate these achievements in the Canal Zone?

Coatis and snakes and sloths, oh my! Here is a selection of animal photos from the collection. Which wild animals did you frequently see in the Canal Zone? Were they in residential areas? Which animals were popular among Zonians, and which were notorious?

Sloth, 1930’s

Fer-de-lance snake, 1930’s

Boa constrictor, 1930’s

Wild peccary, 1930’s

Wild coatis and white-faced monkeys inhabiting Ancon Hill, March 9, 1949

Happy Independence Day from PCMC! We have several items in the collection showing how Zonians celebrated the Fourth of July throughout the years.

How did you celebrate Independence Day in the Canal Zone?

Fourth of July Dance Program, 1908

Selections from Fourth of July Activity Program, 1940

Fourth of July fireworks from Sosa Hill, 1954 – 1960