Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
3 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Spain Fresnedillas de la Oliva Museo Lunar
AO Edited

Museo Lunar

The small Spanish town that played an important role in a human's first steps on the moon.

Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Spain

Added By
Javier Pascual Aguilar
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Replica   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Replica   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Old photograph on display at the museum   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Newspaper covers and Buzz Aldrin’s signed photo   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Outside the museum   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Calle Apolo XI, Fresnedillas de la Oliva   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
The antenna, now located at Robeldo de Chavela   velomartinez / CC BY-SA 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located on Calle de Apollo 11 in Fresnedillas de la Oliva, the Museo Lunar (Lunar Museum) commemorates the role this small Spanish town played in humans setting foot on the moon.

From 1967 to 1985, Fresnedillas de la Oliva served as the headquarters of the NASA Apollo Station in Europe. It was in this small town near Madrid where one of the three tracking antennas was installed to maintain continuous contact between the Apollo program spacecraft and the NASA Control Center in Houston. The other two stations were located at Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California and Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in Australia. These three stations were home to giant antennas measuring 26 meters in diameter and weighing 300 tons. Their locations formed an equidistant triangle on the map that could receive communications from Apollo 11 around the clock.

On the night of July 20, 1969, the workers of the Fresnedillas Station, after long hours of hard work, were the first to hear and immediately share with the rest of planet Earth the famous phrase of Commander Neil Armstrong: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

In 1983, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology took over its facilities and its giant antenna was transferred to Robledo de Chavela, where it remained in use until 2008.

The museum contains a collection of original objects from space, both from NASA and Russian space missions. It was created by the City Council of Fresnedillas de la Oliva due to the good reception given to the acts to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 mission. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the collection was moved to a larger space and it was renamed the Lunar Center for Space and Science Museum. It was inaugurated on July 20, 2019, by the former workers of the Apolo Station in Fresnedillas de la Oliva.

Related Tags

Instruments Of Science Museums And Collections Moon Space Space Exploration

Know Before You Go

The museum is open exclusively for school visits on weekdays. The museum is open for the general public on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Community Contributors

Added By

Xavixavir

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

February 20, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://museo.fresnedillasdelaoliva.es/
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.es/espacio/2019/07/la-historia-tras-la-estacion-espacial-de-fresnedillas-de-la-oliva
Museo Lunar
Calle de Apolo 11
Fresnedillas de la Oliva, 28214
Spain
40.485301, -4.17009
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Silla de Felipe II (Phillip II’s Chair)

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

miles away

Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

miles away

Cementerio del Cristo (Cemetery of Christ)

Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Spain

Spain

Europe

Places 748
Stories 37

Nearby Places

Silla de Felipe II (Phillip II’s Chair)

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

miles away

Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

miles away

Cementerio del Cristo (Cemetery of Christ)

Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Spain

Spain

Europe

Places 748
Stories 37

Related Places

  • Moonprints in Cement

    Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

    Apollo Moonprints in Cement

    The imprints of astronaut Charles Duke’s moon boots live on at Myrtle Beach’s official South Carolina Hall of Fame.

  • Kathmandu, Nepal

    Apollo Lunar Sample Displays

    Visitors to the National Museum of Nepal can moon over a set of well-traveled flags.

  • Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.

    Paddys River, Australia

    Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex

    It's home to the antenna that received the first images of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.

  • Model of Skylab outside Esperance Museum.

    Esperance, Australia

    Skylab’s Remains

    A tiny museum in Esperance, Australia, displays a bunch of space debris from NASA’s Skylab.

  • Little Joe II rocket, the largest ever to be launched from New Mexico

    Alamogordo, New Mexico

    New Mexico Museum of Space History

    Home of the International Space Hall of Fame.

  • Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center.

    Los Angeles, California

    Space Shuttle Endeavour

    The final resting place of a space program monolith.

  • Korolyov, Russia

    RKK Energiya Museum

    This iconic Russian space museum sits on a landmark space production facility and houses the Vostok 1, the first manned spacecraft, that was also built here.

  • At Star City’s Hydro Lab, an entire mock spacecraft is submerged in a tank filled with water, the density of which helps to recreate the feeling of weightlessness for cosmonauts.

    Shchyolkovo, Russia

    Star City

    Secret Soviet city once home to Russian cosmonauts and space training facilities.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.