Former Curator Makes Very Cool Donation to Lafayette Science Museum

The former planetarium curator at the Lafayette Science Museum has made a very cool donation to the museum in the form of a few mock-ups.

Dave Hostetter, who served as the curator of the planetarium at the Lafayette Science Museum for 40 years, was made aware of some mock-ups of some space equipment that was to be discarded at another museum.

Seeing value in the models, Hostetter decided to acquire the items and donate them to the Lafayette Science Museum, to be displayed in its halls.

Though Hostetter has retired from the Lafayette Science Museum, he still volunteers his time there (and we appreciate his dedication!) and is constantly looking for ways to improve the museum.

When Hostetter was made aware of a few Apollo Mission models that were being discarded, he recruited one of the best sound guys in Acadiana, Paul McCasland, to accompany him on his journey to Kingsport, Tennessee, to secure the models.

The two men hauled a trailer to Tennessee that was large enough to fit the models, then they returned to Acadiana, delivering the models to the Lafayette Science Museum.

The Lafayette Science Museum posted about it on its Facebook page:

Sneak Peek of the Week! Retired planetarium curator and museum volunteer, Dave Hostetter, has returned with models of the Apollo Spacecraft all the way from Tennessee. These models were set to be discarded if not claimed by the end of the month. They will now be cleaned and refurbished to be displayed along with other models currently on exhibit.

The Facebook post from the Lafayette Science Museum contained a link to Hostetter's post about the models.

Look what followed me home! Paul McCasland and I went up to Kingsport, TN, to pick up these Apollo models, part of a set with the Gemini model hanging in the Museum's lobby for the last few years. I hope to have these cleaned and refurbished for display with the others by sometime this Spring.

The Lafayette Science Museum plans to clean up the models and prepare them for display.

If you have not visited the Lafayette Science Museum, you are missing a great experience. From the dinosaur displays to the space exhibits, there's something that will interest everyone who does visit. And be certain to grab a planetarium show, too!

Lafayette Science Museum is located Downtown, at the corner of Congress and Jefferson Streets.