The Smithsonian is a leader in using 3-D technology to make museum collections and scientific specimens more widely available for anyone to use and study. The Smithsonian X 3D explorer and the initial objects we scanned are the first step in showing how this technology will transform the work of the Smithsonian and other museums and research institutions.

The Smithsonian digitization challenge and opportunity can be measured by the total number of collection items: at 137 million objects, artworks and specimens, capturing the entire collection at a rate of 1 item per minute would take over 260 years of 24/7 effort. At the present moment, the Smithsonian has prioritized the digitization of about 10% of its collections for digitization.

...with only 1% of collections on display in Smithsonian museum galleries, digitization affords the opportunity to bring the remaining 99% of the collection into the virtual light. All of these digital assets become the infrastructure which will allow not just the Smithsonian, but the world at large to tell new stories about the familiar, as well as the unfamiliar, treasures in these collections.

We can't take you to the Moon and back, but with the help of our friends at Smithsonian 3D Digitization, you'll be able to take a virtual tour of the Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia." Stop by our Museum in Washington, DC through Thursday to watch them in action and look for the 3D tour online next summer.

Smithsonian reveals Apollo 11 3D model

The Smithsonian is commemorating the anniversary of the first moon landing with new exhibits and a virtual display of some of the most historic artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission...

The Smithsonian is also debuting on Wednesday a high-resolution digital scan of the command module Columbia, the spacecraft that carried Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. This detailed model allows anyone with an internet connection to inspect the entire craft, inside and out, as well as download it so it can be 3D printed or explored with VR headsets.

The digital model is accessible through the Smithsonian X 3D website, which includes a free browser and the ability to download the data for use in modeling programs and to print using a 3D printer. The model will also be featured in the museum's upcoming "Destination Moon" exhibition.

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The scan was conducted using state-of-the-art technology.

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YES, I know that this isn't the same thing, but I always roll my eyes when someone suggests that whatever they used to record something will be all anyone in the future will need. Someday, this scan will look as crude as a crayon drawing, compared to whatever is being used by then.