posted 02-22-2017 11:00 AM               

Smithsonian to launch Apollo 11 Columbia spacecraft on national tour

The iconic NASA spacecraft that flew with the first U.S. astronauts to walk on the moon will launch on a cross-country tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its historic mission.

The Apollo 11 command module, Columbia, which in 1969 carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon, will depart the Smithsonian for two years to visit museums in Houston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Seattle. It will then return to Washington, D.C., where it will become the centerpiece inside a new gallery at the National Air and Space Museum that will tell the story of human exploration of Earth's natural satellite.

posted 02-22-2017 11:00 AM               

'Destination Moon': Museums and science centers plan for Apollo 11 exhibit

For Houston, it will be a homecoming; for St. Louis, a product of its past. In Pittsburgh, it will be seen as a symbol of innovation; and in Seattle, an arrival worthy of a celebration.

Columbia, the Apollo 11 command module that carried the first astronauts to walk on the moon, will embark on a two-year tour to the four U.S. cities as part the National Air and Space Museum's biggest, most ambitious traveling exhibit to date.

posted 02-22-2017 10:28 PM               

The Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia is going on a four-city U.S. tour. Find out how we're getting it ready.

Conservator Lisa Young shares what the next few months will look like and what she's most interested in finding out about Columbia.

posted 06-26-2017 07:53 AM               

"Our big job as conservators right now is to figure out, if we are going to put it back on display permanently, what could be happening to it in 50 years," says [conservator Lisa] Young, who wants to prevent future deterioration.

Inside the capsule, for example, the adhesives used to stick Velcro to the walls are becoming more crumbly and losing elasticity. "So it's starting to have things pop off," says Young. "We want to go back in and make sure that all the adhesives remain stable."

...and then there's the dust. Young holds a vacuum near the spacecraft's charred heat shield and uses a small paintbrush to gently sweep off dust.

"You actually just want to loosen the dust so it becomes airborne and goes into the vacuum," she explains.

She expects to spend about a month just cleaning the surfaces. "I'll probably be doing a little bit more on the top where we do corrosion removal and fabric repair," says Young.

posted 10-09-2017 10:48 AM               

'Destination Moon' traveling exhibit marks return to Houston for Apollo 11 spacecraft

The last time that it was in Houston, the spacecraft that flew the first humans to walk on the moon was purposely kept away from the public. On its first return to the city in 48 years, the Apollo 11 command module will be available for all to see.

Columbia, the NASA capsule that carried Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon and back in 1969, is the centerpiece of the Smithsonian's "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" traveling exhibit. The vehicle and 20 other artifacts from the first lunar landing will debut on Saturday (Oct. 14) at Space Center Houston, the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas.

posted 10-12-2017 04:45 PM               

Apollo 11 spacecraft traveling exhibit lands at Space Center Houston

A moon ship has landed in "Space City."

Small in size, but giant in its historical stature, Columbia, the Apollo 11 command module has taken center stage at Space Center Houston, where it is premiering on display as the star of the Smithsonian's new "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" traveling exhibit. The capsule and more than 20 related artifacts open to the public on Saturday (Oct. 14) at the Smithsonian Affiliate and visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

posted 11-18-2017 01:06 PM               

There is also a paperweight in the shape of a moon rock, etched with the logo.

posted 11-18-2017 02:41 PM               

Young holds a vacuum near the spacecraft's charred heat shield and uses a small paintbrush to gently sweep off dust.

posted 03-19-2018 01:00 PM               

Apollo 11 spacecraft departing Houston for St. Louis on 'Destination Moon' tour

After five months on display in "Space City," the first spacecraft to carry astronauts to land on the moon is now destined for the "Gateway to the West."

Columbia, the command module that took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon and back in 1969, concluded the first leg of a planned three-year tour in Houston, Texas on Sunday (March 18). The ship, which is the centerpiece of the Smithsonian's "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" exhibit, will next travel to St. Louis, Missouri, where it will go on display beginning April 14.

posted 03-20-2018 11:51 AM               

Along with CM Columbia, Destination Moon featured a number of great Apollo 11 artifacts. The Bezos Expeditions-recovered F1 injector plate could be considered fine art. Aldrin's helmet and EVA gloves up close were awesome. Ditto for Collins' annotated flight plan and Speedmaster next to Aldrin's LM circuit breaker "fixit" felt-tip pen.

Just one minor disappointment. I went with a friend and we both felt Columbia looked a bit 'dead' compared to Apollo 17's nicely-lit America CM nearby. Perhaps all part of touring Columbia with an extraordinary conservation imperative and still a pleasure to be/see up close with no plexiglass shell.

An excellent experience overall. Thank you to JSC/SCH and the Smithsonian for getting the show on the road!

posted 04-13-2018 06:15 PM               

Gateway to the... moon: Apollo 11 capsule lands on display in St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri is often called the "Gateway to the West," in no small part because of its landmark Gateway Arch. Well, now the city could also be referred to as "Gateway to the Moon" with the arrival of a Smithsonian exhibit.

"The capsule, the command module Columbia, that returned Apollo 11 astronauts safely to Earth, just landed, or splashed down, at the Saint Louis Science Center!" proclaimed Christian Greer, the chief officer for science, education and experience at the Science Center.

posted 04-16-2018 11:32 AM               

Having said that, (based on the exhibit photos) the Lunar Module cockpit in particular is unique in its inaccuracy. Was there really no room for both forward panels? Maybe that's a clue that the dimensions might be a bit off? And the graphic at the lower right depicts the Entry Monitor instrument of the Command Module. No use for that in the LM. (But an Abort Guidance panel might be useful.) Good work making the DSKY interactive.

posted 04-16-2018 04:05 PM               

I don't know the reasons behind the lunar module configuration, but here is a photo that shows the full walk-in area.

posted 09-28-2018 12:00 AM               

Steely spaceship: Apollo 11 capsule lands on display in Pittsburgh

You could say that "Columbia," the historic spacecraft that flew the first astronauts to land on the moon, has Pittsburgh under its skin.

The Apollo 11 command module, which debuts to the public at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, aka "Steel City," on Saturday (Sep. 29), has an outer structure made in part of steel.

"When you see the objects in this exhibit, you see Pittsburgh everywhere," said Andy Masich, the president and CEO and of the Heinz History Center. "You see it in the steel. You see it in the aluminum. You see it in the glass. You see it in the stories of the people who all pitched in and used their creativity to put a man on the moon."

posted 03-01-2019 08:39 AM               

We've had to move a few artifacts to make room for the Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibition, and tonight it was our vintage command module 007A. In its place will be the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia. Open to the public April 13!

posted 04-13-2019 12:30 AM               

Apollo 11 spacecraft on display in Seattle for 50th anniversary

Fifty years after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, the spacecraft that carried the first astronauts to land on the moon has again returned to the United States' west coast.

"Columbia," the Apollo 11 command module that flew Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to and from the moon in July 1969, will spend the 50th anniversary of its mission at The Museum of Flight in Seattle. The capsule is the star of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service's "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission," which opens Saturday (April 13) through Sept. 2 at the Washington state museum.

posted 06-14-2019 04:50 PM               

Smithsonian extends Apollo 11 spacecraft tour, adds stop in Cincinnati

The spacecraft that carried the crew of the first moon landing to and from Earth 50 years ago has just had its current mission extended.

The Smithsonian, which has been touring the command module "Columbia" as part of its "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" exhibition, made the surprise announcement on Friday (June 14) that the capsule will stay on the road beyond the 50th anniversary of the historic lunar flight. The next and new final stop for the spacecraft, together with more than 20 related artifacts, will be in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"I am very happy that the Cincinnati Museum Center will be home to Destination Moon this fall," said Myriam Springuel, director of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations, at a press conference at the Cincinnati Museum Center on Friday.

posted 09-30-2019 05:45 PM               

Neil Armstrong's sons help open exhibit of father's spacecraft in Cincinnati

On its first, and previously only, visit to Ohio, the spacecraft that returned to Earth the first astronauts to land on the moon was welcomed by Neil Armstrong's parents. In September 1970, Viola and Stephen Armstrong attended the Apollo 11 command module's debut at the state fair in Columbus, as part of its NASA-organized 50-state tour.

Now, 49 years later, it was the first moonwalker's sons who had the honor.

posted 02-18-2020 12:00 AM               

Historic Apollo 11 capsule completes two-year, five-city 'Destination Moon' tour

"Columbia" is once again bound for the District of Columbia.

The spacecraft, which half a century ago flew on the first mission to land humans on the moon, is returning to its home at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC after completing a two-year, five-city tour as the centerpiece of the Smithsonian's "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" traveling exhibition.

But first, Columbia has one more destination to visit.

posted 03-03-2020 10:34 AM               

Command module Columbia is back on display and ready for you to come say hello.