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Author
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Topic: Photo of the week 253 (September 5, 2009)
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heng44
Member Posts: 3387
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 09-05-2009 04:04 AM
   
 Forty years ago today, the Apollo 11 command module was back at the North American plant in Downey, California, for a detailed post-flight inspection. After that, it was vacuum-baked to remove any residual moisture before being encased in plastic for display at the Smithsonian. Ed Hengeveld |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 09-05-2009 08:08 AM
...also providing an opportunity for folks to strip off any remaining bits of pesky Kapton tape from the hull. |
ringo67
Member Posts: 179
From: Seekonk, Mass., USA
Registered: May 2003
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posted 09-05-2009 11:58 AM
Out of curiosity, when was the last time someone was inside the Apollo 11 command module?
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Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1587
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 09-05-2009 12:48 PM
Wow, I didn't realize that they took it apart. |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1306
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 09-05-2009 02:10 PM
I knew they took it apart, but didn't know about the vacuum-baked part.Mike Collins suit was inside Columbia this time last year. This year (for the 40th) it was gone. The suit was probably removed along with Glenn's and the Gemini 4 suits. I have a few emails from Amanda Young about the pressure suit display being removed from the second floor. My guess is it was done Sept/Oct/Nov last year. |
golddog
Member Posts: 210
From: australia
Registered: Feb 2008
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posted 09-05-2009 06:01 PM
Collins suit was missing when I visited the NASM in December, 2004. Out of interest, how often do they put the suit in the spacecraft (and take it out)? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-05-2009 06:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by golddog:
Collins suit was missing when I visited the NASM in December, 2004.
Are you sure you have that date correct? To my knowledge, Collins' spacesuit has been removed only once on March 15, 2005 (and has remained separate from the spacecraft ever since). |
Lou Chinal
Member Posts: 1306
From: Staten Island, NY
Registered: Jun 2007
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posted 09-05-2009 10:05 PM
I guess it was longer than I remember.The question still stands, "When was the last time somebody was inside Columbia?" |
golddog
Member Posts: 210
From: australia
Registered: Feb 2008
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posted 09-05-2009 10:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Are you sure you have that date correct?
You're right, checked my diaries and it was December '05. Looks like I missed seeing Collin's suit by only a few months. |
Apollo Redux
Member Posts: 346
From: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 09-07-2009 05:50 PM
Very cool. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1522
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 09-07-2009 08:06 PM
It's interesting to note that "encased in plastic" doesn't mean that Columbia was always sealed in the transparent sarcophagus that she's in nowadays.This is how she looked when on display at the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building (former home of the NASM) in July, 1971.  ------------------
Jonathan Ward
Blogging at http://jonathan-spacejunk.blogspot.com |
E2M Lem Man
Member Posts: 846
From: Los Angeles CA. USA
Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 09-09-2009 12:59 PM
Aerospace Legacy Foundation President Jerry Blackburn told me "This was probably taken at the plant in Building 288 (now demolished). It was the site of vacuum chamber we used for the Apollo testing."J.M. Busby
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