Recovering rockets from the desert: Exercises in Retrieving Australia's Space Heritage from the Simpson Desert

摘要

Despite its long involvement in space activities, very little of Australia's space heritage remains today. The most significant collection of surviving artefacts is that held by the Woomera Heritage Centre, the community-run museum of the Woomera Rocket Range. Among these artefacts, visitors to the Woomera township today can see two unique exhibits: rocket stages from the Sparta/Wresat and Europa F-4 launch vehicles, recovered from the Simpson Desert in the 1990s. Both vehicles are significant in the history of space activities at Woomera: the Sparta/Wresat was the rocket which launched this country's first satellite, Wresat, while the F-4 vehicle was the first Europa rocket to be launched in the complete three stage configuration.