CANBERRA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia's peak scientific body has donated its official copy of the Apollo 11 Moon landing broadcast to Australia's National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA).
Ahead of the 50-year anniversary of the Moon landing on July 20, Australia's Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews on Wednesday handed a digitally restored version of the original broadcast to Australia's Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher at an event at the Parliament House.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO) was gifted the only official copy of the broadcast held outside the United States by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as recognition for Australia's role supporting the mission.
"It was an honor to receive the official copy of the footage from NASA in recognition of the support Australia provided to the Apollo 11 mission, and to donate this footage to the NFSA for the benefit of future generations," said Dave Williams, the executive director of CSIRO's space programs.
Tracking stations at Honeysuckle Creek near Canberra and the CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales (NSW) played a key role in monitoring astronauts' health during the Apollo 11 mission and receiving and broadcasting images to more than 600 million people.
Signals received by the Honeysuckle Creek station captured Neil Armstrong's historic first steps on the Moon.
"Nearly fifty years ago, the world came together to watch these images and celebrate a landmark human achievement," NFSA Chief Executive Jan Muller said.
"The broadcast had a huge impact on inspiring others to follow their passion in science and engineering, and to make a difference to the world."
