sentences:  This was the period of the great upsurge of interest due to the space spectaculars of the USSR and United States, culminating in the Apollo missions to the Moon.In July 1969, during the period of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon, the Observatory witnessed the largest gathering of people in its history, when a colour TV was installed in the lecture-room giving full coverage of the mission, interspersed with talks, slide-shows, and an exhibition, stewarded by members of the D.A.S.Another significant event which stimulated local press interest was the expedition by Ford, Morgan Findlay and Dave Taylor to observe the 1973 total solar eclipse off the coast of Mauretania, as part of the B.