40th anniversary of the first human landing on the moon

Nick Proach

16 July, 09

As a little boy with a knack for making models and a passion for space, Nick Proach never imagined his zeal for space exploration would define his career.

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The Sunshine Coast resident’s work is on display at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. For the 40th anniversary tribute to Apollo 11’s lunar landing, the centre decided to celebrate the history of moon travel through Mr. Proach’s display, “Moon Exploration: Past, Present and Future”. On view at the centre through the end of September, the exhibit includes detailed models of crafts that have traveled to the moon.

The display, like all other aspects of the Apollo 11 celebration, is intended to inspire the young minds that are the centre’s usual audience. The creator of the display was once no different from the children learning from his work. The now successful businessman grew out of what he calls “the resident space geek in high school”, whose gusto for model-building and space have combined into an ever-expanding career.

An 11-year-old captivated by the space program, Mr. Proach longed for models of the Apollo mission space crafts he watched on TV in 1965. He satisfied himself with car models because “they didn’t yet make model kits of what they flew into space”. Upon entering high school, he began making models from scratch, developing building techniques as he went along. Mr. Proach turned out his first professional model at age 17, when CTV requested he produce a display of the entire Apollo 15 lunar landing site. After stints in broadcasting and real estate, Mr. Proach found so many people interested in his space models that he started his own company in 1994.

In the 15 years since then, Mr. Proach has worked with astronauts, the US Air Force, various NASA centers, museums and private collectors. In 1998, HBO contracted him to create prop models for Tom Hanks’ 12-part drama, “From the Earth to the Moon”. Two of his models were flown to the International Space Station; one as a training device for space-walking astronauts and the second as part of an art exhibition started by Richard Garriott. He has met and forged friendships with the very astronauts he admired as a little boy, including Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 crew member and second man on the moon.

Though Mr. Proach has passionately followed the space program for the majority of his life, his aspirations have never strayed far from working with his hands. He says, “Offer me a seat to the moon and I would take it…but it was the hardware and what it took to put a man up there that just fascinated me. I come from a family that when it comes to making things, we’re good with our hands and our heads”. And although Mr. Proach has never actually visited the final frontier, he’s touched it. When visiting Alan Bean , the fourth man on the moon and a personal friend, Mr. Proach noticed an unusual hammer on the mantle. It was the hammer Mr. Bean used on “the Ocean of Storms”, the Apollo 12 landing site. “I touched something that was on the surface of the moon…no gloves no nothing. I may never have walked on the moon, but I touched it.” That is definitely close enough.

To see some of Mr. Proach’s work, go to http://www.spacemodel.com.

More on the Apollo 11 celebration.