NASA’s Apollo 11 astronauts honored in… a butter sculpture

This story is part of To the Moon, a series exploring humanity’s first journey to the lunar surface and our future living and working on the moon.

If you want to celebrate NASA‘s 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, you might as well do it with butter.

At this year’s Ohio State Fair, visitors can see highly detailed, life-sized butter sculptures of the Apollo 11 moon crew — Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

There’s also a separate butter sculpture of Armstrong in his spacesuit saluting the American flag while standing near the lunar module Eagle.

“Those who remember the moon landing often recall exactly where they were and how they felt, and the 50th anniversary is the perfect time to pay tribute to this amazing event,” Jenny Hubble, senior vice president of communications for the American Dairy Association Mideast, said in a statement. 

Armstrong — who was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio — is considered a state icon for his trip to the moon. In addition, Armstrong bought a dairy farm in Ohio after leaving NASA in 1971. 

“Ohio also has a special connection to that day, as one of our own took the first-ever steps on the surface of the moon,” Hubble said.

Not to be outdone by the humans, there are also the traditional butter sculptures of a cow and her calf in the display. Both the cow and the calf are wearing ear tags with the word “Apollo” written on them.

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It took 2,200 pounds (998 kilograms) of butter donated by dairy farmers. Steel frames support the weight of the butter.

The sculptors worked on the butter sculptures inside a cooler at a temperature of 46 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius) for 400 of the 500 hours it took to make the buttery display, according to a video from the American Dairy Association Mideast. 

Space fans have until Aug. 4 to see the Apollo 11 butter sculptures on display.