The Sky’s the Limit for His Hobby

A one-half-scale model of the Apollo 11 lunar landing module has become an unexpected tourist attraction in Marietta

By David Figura

 

For nearly two decades, a one-half-scale model of the Apollo 11 lunar landing module has been prominently displayed on Steve and Shelby George’s front yard near the southeastern end of Otisco Lake.

“It’s become a sort of a tourist attraction. We’ve had a lot of people stop and photograph it over the years.” Steve George said.

For George, 69, it’s the reflection of his life-long fascination with the moon and astronomy.

Born and raised in Freeville, his father bought him his first telescope for Christmas in 1968 when he was 12. It was that next summer, on July 20, 1969, when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.

“When I was growing up, the moon and space was the new horizon,” the Marietta resident said.

George, a past member of the Syracuse Astronomical Society, today owns more than two dozen types of telescopes of all sizes and types and has a small, private observatory on the upper part of his 20-acre parcel.

In addition, he frequently assists Bob Piekiel, a fellow astronomy enthusiast, who gives astronomy and star gazing outreach programs at the Baltimore Woods Nature Center, the Marcellus library, at local state parks and at other venues across Central New York.

A framed front page of the Syracuse Herald Journal reporting man’s landing on the moon is displayed on the living room wall in the Georges’ Geodesic dome house that they built on Otisco Valley Road in Marietta.

Inside, more than a half dozen model airplanes hang from the huge vaulted ceiling by string decorating the great room. Special lighted cabinets with shelves sport many models of the lunar landing module, along with a full library of books about the moon, astronomy, automobiles and the history of aviation.

“Look at this,” he said, grabbing a clear plastic bag off one of the shelves. “I got this from Rockwell International. It’s a heat shield tile from the nose of the space shuttle.”

George, an Air Force veteran with a degree in mechanical engineering, has had a diverse work career that included working for Cargill in the salt mines underneath Cayuga Lake; a small company that helped construct radar domes as part of the North American Defense System in Alaska; a job with Saulsbury Fire Apparatus, a company that built fire trucks, and finally a plant maintenance tech position with Westrock, a company specializing in making corrugated paperboard for shipping purposes.

“I’m kind of eccentric. Yes, and I’m a little different. I just like to build things,” he said.

In addition to the lunar landing module, several pieces of large metal lawn art such as giant sunflowers adorn his property. Also, there are a handful of unique and unusual automobiles among his collection. Among them, a 1951 Ford truck rat rod.

“The truck still runs and has the original license plates. It has never been washed,” he said, smiling. “And some of the other cars I’ve bought, owned and worked on are now on display at several museums.”

George shared a picture of a Cessna 174 airplane body that he turned into a camper during the COVID-19 pandemic and towed around the country visiting national parks while enjoying camping with his wife.

“We put over 12,000 miles on it and then I turned around and sold it,” he said, adding he then built another larger unit that he and wife could stand in.

Prior to the lunar landing module, George built and displayed a large UFO (a flying saucer) on his front lawn. He said he used to decorate it during Halloween, Christmas and other times of the year.

“Once there was a big hornet’s nest on it, the size and shape of a football,” he said. “I took a picture of it and sent it to my astronomy group and said, ‘The aliens have landed and they’re attacking the mother ship.’ We had a lot of fun with that one before retiring it to the observatory area.”

He said he and his son, Spencer, built the replica of the lunar landing module, which is mostly made of aluminum, in the family’s garage.

On the anniversary of man landing on the moon, the two removed the UFO “in the dead of night,” replacing it with the lunar landing module.

“When we first put it out there, the next day a tourism bus stopped in front of our house on the road. People piled out of the bus like ants to check it out,” George said. “The next day, my friend, Dave, and his biker buddies, over 100 guys, stopped by and they were all taking pictures of it.”

Among George’s current astrology-related activities is building and selling “telescope buggies” for fellow astronomy buffs to help them move and cart around their big, heavy scopes.

Meanwhile, on the ground in front of his garage is a large pile of bicycle wheel rims. He said they’re for his next big project.

“I’m going to use them to make two big spheres, one representing the earth. Another representing the moon,” he explained. “They’ll be maybe to scale, then I’m going to do an outline of the continents on the earth.

“For the moon, I’m going to do something different. Nobody knows what I’m going to do, but you’ll know it’s the moon. And it’ll be funny.”