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Author Topic:   Planning a Midwest space museum trip
Zoo Keeper
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Posts: 25
From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Registered: Feb 2021

posted 09-24-2021 08:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've been planning a Midwest space museum trip for November and could use your expertise on what not to miss. Here's the tentative itinerary, are there any museums or attractions that should be added along the way?

I have extra time at the tail end so lengthening or shortening the trip by a few days is no issue. The artifacts listed are ones that I'm most interested in seeing out of those I'm aware of, but what other artifacts do you consider must-sees when visiting?

This trip will add seven flown manned spacecraft under my belt, bringing my life total up to 23. It will also add two unflown Mercury and two unflown Gemini capsules. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

  • Day 1: Head out early morning to drive from Oklahoma City to Bonne Terre, Missouri, visit The Space Museum

    - Grissom M-5 Mercury suit

  • Day 2: Drive to Saint Louis, visit Saint Louis Science Center

    - Mercury capsule #19, Gemini capsule #3A, Cooper Mercury suit

  • Day 3: Drive to Mitchell, Indiana, visit the Grissom Memorial Museum

    - Gemini 3 capsule, Grissom Gemini suit, Grissom Mercury helmet

  • Day 4: Drive to Dayton, Ohio, visit the National Museum of the US Air Force

    - Apollo 15 CM, Gemini B MOL capsule, Mercury capsule #17, Space Shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer, X-15, SR-71, B-29 Bomber Bockscar, YF-12A, Titan IV rocket, Bell X-1

  • Day 5: Day two at National Museum of the US Air Force

  • Day 6: Drive to Cleveland, Ohio, visit the Great Lakes Science Center/Glenn Visitor Center

    - Skylab 3 CM, Weitz Skylab 2 suit, Apollo 15 moon rock

  • Day 7: Drive to Wapakoneta, Ohio, visit the Armstrong Air and Space Museum

    - Gemini VIII, Armstrong Gemini VIII suit, Armstrong Apollo 11 backup suit, Apollo 11 moon rock

  • Day 8: Drive to Chicago, visit the Adler Planetarium

    - Gemini XII

  • Day 9: Visit the Museum of Science and Industry

    - Aurora 7, Apollo 8, lunar module trainer MSC-16, Borman Apollo 8 suit

  • Day 10: Visit the Cernan Earth and Space Center

    - Cernan Apollo 10 suit, Apollo boilerplate BP-213

  • Day 11: Finish drive back to Oklahoma City

4allmankind
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From: Dallas
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posted 09-24-2021 08:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for 4allmankind   Click Here to Email 4allmankind     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You are close to Weatherford so I'd assume you have been to the Stafford Air & Space Museum?

Try to get to Hutchinson, Kansas on this trip, or next. The Cosmosphere is awfully amazing.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 09-24-2021 08:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yep Stafford, Cosmosphere, Oklahoma History Center, and Frontiers of Flight are all in a three hour radius of me and I have visited each numerous times, so they will be skipped for this trip.

GACspaceguy
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posted 09-24-2021 10:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have never been but wanted to visit a few places in Michigan. It might be worth doing a search in that state for space museums.

There is a boilerplate/training spacecraft El Kabong in the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum. It may not be too far out of the way as you drive from Ohio to Chicago. Take a look.

Jeff
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From: Fayetteville, NC, USA
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posted 09-24-2021 10:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jeff   Click Here to Email Jeff     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Looks like a great trip, hope you post pictures of your stops along the way.

By the way, the Apollo 16 CM is at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I think you may have meant the Apollo 15 CM at the AF Museum on day 4. Enjoy!

sfurtaw
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From: Saginaw, MI USA
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posted 09-25-2021 09:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for sfurtaw   Click Here to Email sfurtaw     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While not a place to find hardware, the Michigan Heroes Museum in Frankenmuth, MI may be a worthwhile stop for you. We have 850 stories of Michigan men and women who served in our military or explored space, with about 150 on display at one time.

Our astronaut gallery features 16 of our 17 astronauts, with each display containing the uniforms, flightsuits, and other artifacts donated by our astronauts (or in the cases of Chaffee and Jarvis, their families). Other astronauts on display are Jim McDivitt, Al Worden, Jack Lousma, Brewster Shaw, Dave Leestma, Don McMonagle, Richard Searfoss, Jerry Linenger, Mike Bloomfield, Brent Jett, George Zamka, Greg H. Johnson, Drew Feustel and Christina Koch.

Full disclosure: my opinion is biased as I serve on the Museum's board of directors, as does Greg Johnson.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 09-25-2021 10:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by GACspaceguy:
There is a boilerplate/training spacecraft El Kabong in the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum.
I had not realized that Air Zoo adds less than an hour of driving to the trip and would break up that 5 hour drive from Armstrong to Adler. I will seriously consider adding it to the itinerary, thanks!
quote:
Originally posted by Jeff:
I think you may have meant the Apollo 15 CM at the AF Museum on day 4.
Thanks for catching that typo. Although with the present location of the Apollo 15 control panel, I would argue I wasn't too far off!

Kevmac
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From: College Station, TX
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posted 10-31-2021 05:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kevmac   Click Here to Email Kevmac     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Are you still going this month? Any changes to your itinerary? I may file this away and use it for myself in a few years when I'm able to take this trip.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 11-01-2021 11:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Pending any unforeseen emergency, I should be heading out in one week! A few changes to the itinerary: thanks to Fred's suggestion, Air Zoo will be on the list for this vacation. Because of timing, Michigan Heroes Museum will have to wait for my next endeavor into the state.

While doing final preparations for each stop, I learned that Adler Planetarium will not be reopening to the public until March 2022 due to Covid. Thanks to the generosity of their curatorial staff, I have been able to arrange a brief stop-in to see Gemini XII. As a result, that day will otherwise be a visit to the Field Museum. I'm not sure who else on this forum shares an interest in natural history, but the Field Museum is largely unparalleled in this area. This will be my third trip to Chicago and third visit to the Field Museum, but will somewhat surprisingly be my first visits to Adler and MSI.

I hope to share highlights and my general thoughts for each museum in this thread as the trip progresses. The new planned itinerary:

  • Day 1: The Space Museum
  • Day 2: Saint Louis Science Center
  • Day 3: Grissom Memorial Museum
  • Day 4: National Museum of the US Air Force
  • Day 5: National Museum of the US Air Force
  • Day 6: Great Lakes Science Center
  • Day 7: Armstrong Air and Space Museum
  • Day 8: Air Zoo
  • Day 9: Adler Planetarium / The Field Museum
  • Day 10: Museum of Science and Industry
  • Day 11: Cernan Earth and Space Center

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Registered: Feb 2021

posted 11-07-2021 09:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And so the trip begins. After a brief drive of eight hours, I arrived at The Space Museum in Bonne Terre, Missouri today (Nov. 7). Bonne Terre is a small town among a sea of small towns I passed through in rural Missouri, and their welcome sign boasted a population of 6,800 people. The museum's space is split into two buildings consisting of a smaller exhibit of vintage space toys that was closed on my visit, and their larger exhibit known as the Grissom Center that showcases their main artifact collection. The museum is the brainchild of Earl Mullins, a private space artifact collector that has since expanded his collection to exhibit artifacts on loan from NASA and other museums.

I was pleasantly surprised with this museum. The Grissom Center is one mid-sized room that generally showed artifacts chronologically as you move clockwise. As the name of the building implies, the front foyer is dominated by artifacts from Gus Grissom and McDonnell. The highlight for me was the Grissom M-5 Mercury training suit, which is purportedly Gus's suit pictured in the famous Life photograph of the Mercury 7 suited up.

Notable artifacts inside the main gallery included an early John Young Gemini suit, Scott Carpenter's flown MA-7 operations manual, a Grissom B.F. Goodrich Gemini helmet and gloves, Skylab flown film magazine and large debris, a space shuttle launch and entry helmet, a Bezos recovered Apollo F1 turbopump inlet, a Titan 1 LR-91 engine, and a Navy Mark IV pressure suit in the gift shop.

I was at this museum from open to close, although it is small enough that it could be done in an hour or two. During that time, three total visitors entered through the doors including myself. As a result of the slow day, Earl was gracious enough to offer a behind the scenes tour. He showed off artifacts currently off-exhibit such as a Mercury cooling garment and a Gemini G2C suit with coverall removed, which is pictured below with permission from the museum. Their goal is to eventually purchase a larger building that would allow for increased exhibit space.

I would recommend the museum as a short stop if you're ever passing through Missouri. Next stop, Saint Louis Science Center!

GACspaceguy
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From: Guyton, GA
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posted 11-08-2021 04:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Adding that one to the list to be visited at retirement (or sooner maybe). Thanks for the great info post. Looking forward to the next one.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 11-09-2021 09:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Saint Louis Science Center was a museum that was largely geared towards interactive exhibits for children with a few artifacts and specimens mixed in. The space collection is housed in the McDonnell Planetarium, which is connected to the main museum campus via an enclosed bridge over a highway.

The exhibit "Liftoff" is located in one small corner of the planetarium, with highlights being unflown Mercury and Gemini capsules. The Mercury display featured capsule #19, the antennae fairing for #9A, and a Mercury hatch, although it is not specified which capsule the hatch belongs to. A nearby display case featured heatshield samples from Scott Carpenter's MA-7 flight and a Gordon Cooper training suit on loan from the Greater Saint Louis Air and Space Museum, the same organization that has Grissom's training suit on loan in Bonne Terre.

It was interesting to note that the Mercury capsule is largely gutted on the inside, does anyone know if these parts were used on a separate Mercury flight or other purpose?

Nearby is Gemini capsule #3A, which was utilized in testing and was the first Gemini capsule built by McDonnell. Heatshield samples from an unablated shield and from Gemini XIII are on display in an adjacent display case.

Other than this area, another exhibit "Mission: Mars" in the main campus features mockups of Sojourner and Spirit/Opportunity. If you are visiting without children, seeing these artifacts takes little time and could easily be done in the same day as The Space Museum in Bonne Terre located one hour away.

I opted to spend the latter part of the day across the street at the Saint Louis Zoo. It is great that a Mercury and a Gemini spacecraft are on display in a free museum in the same city they were built so the public is able to learn of the role McDonnell and Saint Louis played in these programs. Next up, the Grissom Memorial Museum!

CEKebalo
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posted 11-09-2021 10:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for CEKebalo   Click Here to Email CEKebalo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Very much enjoying your day to day recaps!

Greggy_D
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posted 11-09-2021 03:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Greggy_D   Click Here to Email Greggy_D     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you for taking us along on your trip. This is fantastic.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 11-10-2021 10:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Grissom Memorial Museum is located in Gus Grissom's hometown of Mitchell, Indiana. Museum admission is free with a paid entrance fee into Spring Mill State Park in which the museum is located, but the park was not charging any fee on the day I visited. The museum is a small corridor and room located in the same building as the park's offices. Unlike many other museums dedicated to an astronaut (Stafford, Armstrong, etc.), this museum only displayed artifacts directly tied to Gus Grissom's life and missions. As Grissom is my favorite astronaut, I couldn't complain.

The front entryway displays artifacts from Gus's early life including his grade school report cards, high school diploma, and an identification card, jackets, and bachelor's degree all from Perdue University. The corridor connecting this entryway into the main room featured his time as a fighter pilot and test pilot, displaying artifacts such as his Korean War dog tags, air force flight wings, and survival knife.

The main room displays items from his Mercury, Gemini and Apollo days, with the Gemini 3 capsule in the center. Gemini 3 was one of the better displayed capsules I have seen from the program. The spacecraft is in a nice display case with both doors present (with the amount of Gemini capsules on display with one door, I have to assume the Smithsonian has a whole shelf of them at Udvar Hazy/Garber). Displayed in the same case are flown internal instrumentation including the capsule's static power supply and inertial platform. My main complaint was that the floor-to-ceiling windows made glare on the case a problem.

At the front of the room as you exit the corridor is Grissom's flown Mercury helmet. Many of you may be aware of the contentious ownership of this helmet that has been discussed on this forum before. Having seen the flown suit on display at Kennedy Space Center, it was rewarding to have now seen both halves.

Behind Gemini 3 is a Grissom Gemini suit. The signage only mentions "Gus Grissom's Gemini III Spacesuit", but does anyone on here know for certain if this is the flown suit?

An adjacent theater shows a well-done video on a loop that discusses Grissom's life with interviews from his family, John Young, and Gene Kranz.

The museum's Apollo case displays a hardhat with his name, one Atlantic Missile Range and three Gemini badges, and Grissom's funeral flag following the Apollo 1 fire.

Although small, this museum was beautifully presented and worth a quick trip for a Grissom fan. As the museum can be done quickly, I also visited Grissom's childhood home and a memorial statue, both located around five minutes from the museum on/near West Grissom Avenue.

I have now spent three days at small museums, but you can't get much larger than tomorrow's visit. Next stop, two days at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force!

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 11-12-2021 10:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I spent two days at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, and all I can say is WOW. This is a world-class collection that featured some of the most significant aircraft on display anywhere in the country. The facility is massive with the collection divided between four hangers that could each be large museums in their own right.

The first hanger features the WWI and WWII collections. The sheer number of aircraft in the WWI gallery that are the only remaining examples of their kind was impressive and included the Lusac 11, Curtiss P-6E, Martin B-10, and Northrup A-17. Wright brothers' pieces included their 1916 wind tunnel, the fabric from the lower left wing of the 1903 flyer, and an original bicycle.

The WWII gallery was equally impressive with highlights including the B-17 Memphis Belle and the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki and ended World War II. V-1 and V-2 rockets are displayed in this gallery as well. The passage before the second hanger features the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which displays the rocket sled Gee Whizz next to a video lecture of Jim Lovell and Fred Haise. This area was only open on select days, but there is so much to see in this museum that it was not a major loss to miss on my second day.

The second hanger features planes from the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This gallery had a large collection with several examples visitors can walk into.

The third hanger features planes from the Cold War. A B-2 bomber greets you as you enter the gallery with an extensive collection on either side. Highlights for me included the SR-71 that flew the first and most sorties, and a F-117A nighthawk tucked away in a back corner. In between the third and fourth hangers is the missile gallery that featured eight indoor vertically-displayed missiles, including a Titan II.

The fourth hanger displays the space gallery, the research and development gallery, the global reach gallery, and the presidential gallery. The latter of these is an impressive collection that includes Kennedy's Air Force One that Johnson was sworn in on, FDR's Sacred Cow that served as the first presidential airplane, Truman's Independence, Eisenhower's Columbine, and several others. An incredible display for any US history buff, and one that allows for visitors to walk through a large portion of the collection's planes. It is an awesome experience to stand where Johnson stood when becoming president. The research and development collection featured the XB-70 Valkyrie, Bell X-1B, YF-12, and numerous other rare and significant experimental aircraft.

I am 100 percent certain that members on this forum could talk circles around me when it comes to aircraft, so I will focus on the space collection on display. The hallway into the missile gallery and fourth hanger begins the space collection with an Apollo 16 moon rock and flag, a display case with items flown on John Glenn's MA-6 mission, and a Mercury chimp display featuring Ham's flight jacket and flown undergarment, as well as a Holloman chimpanzee training couch. The opposite side of the hallway featured an Aerobee rocket, Dyna-soar wind tunnel models, the ASV-3 ASSET lifting body, and SV-5D PRIME lifting body. As I was just researching the ASSET program, it was rewarding to see the only lifting body recovered from those launches.

The missile gallery featured XLR-11, XLR-99, and V-2 engines, along with a Gemini EMU vintage mockup, Marquardt space sled, and astronaut food. The main hanger showcases the walk-through Shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer, Mercury Capsule #17, Gemini B capsule, and the Apollo 15 command module. The CM is exhibited with its door closed as much of the interior was taken out decades ago and is now displayed in Apollo 16's CM in Alabama. Each of the spacecraft are displayed with replicas of their associated spacesuits, and an authentic Scott Carpenter Mercury helmet is under glass nearby. An enormous Titan IV rocket is displayed horizontally with several engines exhibited underneath.

The highlight for this gallery for me was the X-15 that displayed prominently in the center of it all. This aircraft/spacecraft in person is a sight to be seen and cannot be experienced anywhere else until the Smithsonian puts theirs back on display. While the plane is smaller than I was expecting, I was genuinely blown away to see it in person.

I cannot stress how impressive this free collection is, and I'm sure many of you have visited and feel the same way. It will be hard to top this museum as the trip progresses, but I know there is much more to be seen. Next stop, the Great Lakes Science Center/Glenn Visitor Center!

CEKebalo
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posted 11-12-2021 10:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for CEKebalo   Click Here to Email CEKebalo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I really enjoyed the set of photos from the Air Force museum, excellent!

Zoo Keeper
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posted 11-13-2021 12:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Great Lakes Science Center is home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center following the closure of Glenn's onsite visitor center years ago. The gallery primarily consists of a single room and a few exhibits scattered throughout an atrium. At the center of the room was the Skylab 3 command module.

A display case nearby showcases Paul Weitz's Skylab A7LB, an Aldrin coverall, and a Jack Lousma Skylab flight suit. A display case on the opposite side of the room highlights the research center's namesake John Glenn, displaying a flown Mercury hand computer and star chart along with a Mercury-era jacket and Space Shuttle training suit. Around the remainder of the room is an RL-10 engine, an Apollo 15 moon rock, a lunar rover tire, a flown STS-83 tire, and discarded shuttle tiles.

In the atrium just outside this room hangs a test article for the Mars Pathfinder landing bags, an EFT-1 flown flag, a Guy Bluford training suit, a 1963 Atlas Centaur wind tunnel model, a shuttle wind tunnel model, a Friendship 7 mockup that kids can climb into, and various experiments developed by NASA Glenn.

This museum is much like my visit to Saint Louis Science Center. If you're like me and don't have kids that will spend time in the other galleries, your visit will primarily be to check Skylab 3 off your list. Despite being a smaller collection, the artifacts are beautifully displayed.

Cleveland was the one stop along this trip that was out of the way, but it was nice to finally see a second Skylab CM considering I live less than 20 minutes from Skylab 4 in Oklahoma City. Next stop, the Armstrong Air and Space Museum!

thisismills
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posted 11-13-2021 10:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for thisismills   Click Here to Email thisismills     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Zoo Keeper:
The highlight for this gallery for me was the X-15 that displayed prominently in the center of it all.
Thanks for sharing the photos and your experiences. This is my kind of vacation, really appreciate you taking us along with you.

Wanted to mention that it is a real treat that you got to see the X-15 with its cockpit open. I try to visit once a year and the 20+ times I've been (including when the Presidential and X-planes were sequestered on-base in the old hangars) and have never been fortunate to see the X-15 displayed like that.

This is a photo from 2009 from the old hangars where they had stairs to peer inside the tiny window. I'll have to make the trip down again soon!

Zoo Keeper
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posted 11-14-2021 10:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It certainly was a real treat to see the X-15 cockpit open. It is not easy to get a great picture given the visitor rope placement, but here's my best attempt. A really beautiful plane!

Zoo Keeper
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posted 11-14-2021 10:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Armstrong Air and Space Museum is located in Neil Armstrong's hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio. As you pull in, you're greeted by the F5D Skylancer that Armstrong flew to develop abort procedures for the X-20 DynaSoar.

The museum is primarily divided into two halves with a theater in the center. The first gallery highlights numerous Neil Armstrong artifacts, including the Aeronca 7AC Champion he learned to fly in and the cockpit of the Skylancer seen outside. This section is also home to Gemini VIII wrapped in plexiglass and an Armstrong G4C training suit. This Gemini is missing its entire heatshield, however flown samples are on display in a nearby case along with a flown RCS thruster cut in half. I spoke with Experience Coordinator Greg at length and he was extremely knowledgeable on Gemini VII and its associated artifacts. He explained that while the Smithsonian states the helmet on display with the Armstrong G4C is associated, documentation of serial numbers suggests it is a Grissom helmet.

Going up a ramp brings you to a gallery of Apollo artifacts that includes an H-1 engine, Cernan and Lovell Apollo garments, a flown Apollo 11 American flag and heel restraints, and Neil Armstrong's biological isolation garment. I have seen Michael Collins' garment at Space Center Houston, does anyone know where Aldrin's is located?

A dark narrow hallway leads you directly in front of Armstrong's A7L backup suit. The room also highlights lunar tools, an Apollo 11 lunar sample, and the field sequential color camera that captured the Apollo 12 and 14 crews descending the lunar module. This room leads into the main theater that showcases a 20-minute video focused on the Apollo 11 crew's background in Gemini and the first lunar landing.

The theatre exits into the other half of the museum which focuses on the Space Shuttle and Russian spaceflight. On display here are various flown shuttle items, a flown STS-68 tire, a lunar module simulator, and a Russian hydrosuit, exercise belt, gloves, and headset used on Salyut 6 and 7. Also on display are recovered flags flown in Judy Resnik's personal bag aboard Challenger.

The museum is meant to resemble a futuristic moon base, but also demonstrates the stark concrete architectural style that was prominent when the building opened in the 70s. The first half of the museum is very well done and highlights Armstrong's Gemini and Apollo days well, and I found myself returning to this area after my first walkthrough. Except for a few artifacts, I didn't spend much time in the modern space gallery that takes up the second half of the museum.

The museum is an enjoyable experience and is located approximately one hour from the National Museum of the US Air Force if someone were to replicate my trip and skip my six-hour roundtrip detour to the Great Lakes Science Center. Next stop, Air Zoo!

Zoo Keeper
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posted 11-15-2021 07:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan is probably the most visually attractive air museum I have ever visited, showcasing vintage aircraft surrounded by the world's largest indoor mural. The attached building behind this gallery houses the main space collection. Much like I did for the US Air Force Museum, I will focus on their space gallery.

This museum had a much nicer space artifact collection than I was expecting. I learned that after the Michigan Space and Science Center closed in 2003, many of the artifacts on display there were transferred to Air Zoo and form the basis of their collection. The gallery begins with a V-2 thrust chamber, a Redstone gyroscope, and a Titan II solid rocket motor. From here, the gallery is somewhat loosely organized chronologically as you move left to right.

On the far left side of the gallery is a Mercury chimp couch and a 1/6 scale Mercury Redstone. Next to these is a display of a 1950s flight suit, a Navy Mark IV pressure suit, and a Mercury Mark IV suit. The suit possesses M87 microphones and a widow's peak on the helmet which indicates that this is likely an earlier training suit, but no meaningful information is given on the signage.

The displays in the center of the gallery include an A-6 Redstone engine, an Atlas sustainer engine, Titan II engine, an Atlas launch console, a Gemini crew trainer, and a full-scale model of a Mercury capsule with escape tower. Behind these is El Kabong I, a Gemini boilerplate used to test the feasibility of the Gemini regalo wing. This area also displays Skylab artifacts and an Apollo 15 lunar sample.

Farther back in the left corner is a J2 engine and a 1965 lunar rover prototype from Boeing. The right side of the gallery focuses on the Space Shuttle, displaying items such as shuttle tires and a well-done EMU replica. Between these areas is an elevated Piasecki HUP Retriever helicopter, the type used to recover Mercury missions after splashdown.

Air Zoo is divided into their main building the Flight Innovation Center and their restoration building the Flight Discovery Center, which is accessed by a short walk or car ride. It was exciting to see the active restoration on their F-117 Nighthawk in its final stages on my visit, and this aircraft will ultimately be displayed next to their SR-71B in the Flight Innovation Center. This gallery displays an F1 engine that is suspended from the roof, allowing visitors to walk underneath it. A second A-6 Redstone engine is displayed nearby.

In the far end of the building lies the Redstone that was once displayed vertically outdoors at the Michigan Space and Science Center. From my understanding, this is an authentic Jupiter that the Science Center painted to resemble a Mercury Redstone, to which the Smithsonian has requested it be returned to its original state should it be restored. For now, the body lays horizontally with its impressive tail unit standing upright.

I quite honestly expected to have El Kabong be the showcase of this museum's space collection, as it is often what you hear about when Air Zoo is discussed. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the scope of their artifacts and am glad it was a last-minute addition to the trip. Next up, Adler Planetarium!

spaceman
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posted 11-15-2021 11:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman   Click Here to Email spaceman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
El Kabong 1; terrific restoration

GACspaceguy
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posted 11-15-2021 03:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
OK, so now I HAVE to go there.

You said a J-2 engine was there, but there looks to be an F-1 there as well, as your photo shows.

thisismills
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posted 11-16-2021 10:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for thisismills   Click Here to Email thisismills     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, there is an F-1 as shown in his photo, it is in a separate hangar which is part of the museum admission. This is the older part of the museum which houses restoration, additional aircraft, and several space artifacts.

It is a wonderful experience to stand underneath the F-1. There is a staircase directly behind it that leads to a second level from which you can get a better view of the top of the engine.

For those interested, here is a photo showing the other parts of the Jupiter (Redstone) missile.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Registered: Feb 2021

posted 11-18-2021 08:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by GACspaceguy:
You said a J-2 engine was there, but there looks to be an F-1 there as well, as your photo shows.
Yep as thisismills also mentioned, the F1 is suspended quite impressively from the roof of the Flight Discovery Center. The J2 is housed upright on the ground in the main space gallery at the Flight Innovation Center.
quote:
Originally posted by thisismills:
For those interested, here is a photo showing the other parts of the Jupiter (Redstone) missile.
That's a great photo, thanks for sharing. On my visit the capsule mockup was on the floor (you can just barely see it to the left of the tail unit in my photo) and behind it was what appeared to be the aft unit with its striped paint scheme stripped away.

Zoo Keeper
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posted 11-19-2021 09:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My visit to Adler was quite brief and mostly consisted of a fast tour of the facility with their curator. Many of the prominent artifacts such as Jim Lovell's LEVA helmet have been moved off display for conservation purposes as the planetarium will not reopen to the public until March 2022, so the highlight was certainly seeing Gemini XII. I am immensely grateful to their curator for making this fast trip possible. I will have to make a return trip in the future to fully appreciate their Mission Moon gallery.

The Museum of Science and Industry is a much larger museum than expected with a great set of exhibit galleries. Walking into the indoor gallery housing all 252 feet of German submarine U-505 gave me the same goosebumps as the reveal of Space Shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center. For this entry, I will focus on their space gallery.

The Henry Crown Space Center is tucked away after a series of long hallways that lead to the gallery. Upon entry, you are greeted with Scott Carpenter's Aurora 7 wrapped in plexiglass. While I am generally not a fan of the plexiglass wraps, it was nice to get this close to a flown Mercury capsule considering how others like Sigma 7 and Faith 7 are displayed elsewhere. The capsule is mounted on a metal stand that I have seen other Mercury capsules historically exhibited on in old photos, so I believe this stand is almost as old as the capsule itself. Inside the capsule houses a manikin in a Mercury suit. The helmet is a clear replica, but the suit appears to be authentic and exhibits the common visibility of adhesive caused by loss of aluminized coating.

To the right of the capsule is a display of 1/25 scale models of a Mercury Atas, Gemini Titan II, Saturn V, Space Shuttle Atlantis stack, Ares V, and Ares I. Similar to some other museums I have visited, this gallery has a bit of an identity crisis when it comes to the Constellation Program. The gallery must have been renovated in the mid to late 2000s as signage explains the end to the Shuttle Program in 2010 and the start of Ares launches in 2014. Newer signs in front of the Ares I and V models clarify these are cancelled designs and signage towards the back of the gallery highlight SLS without mentioning the Artemis Program. To the left of these models are a Surveyor retrorocket, a shuttle tire, and an Apollo jettison tower engine. To the right is a full-size Gemini capsule mockup suspended from the roof, although no signage was present that I saw to explain if this was used for something before becoming a museum exhibit.

As you round the corner, you are greeted by the Apollo 8 command module in a glass display case with plastic wrap covering the top. A sign explains that the plastic sheet is to protect the CM while renovations to the nearby café "One Small Snack" are occurring, which appear to be complete or close to it. A mission control console and Frank Borman A7L are displayed adjacent to the CM.

In a nearby pit is Lunar Module Trainer MSC-16 with a John Young A7LB to the left and Charlie Duke A7LB to the right. No signage is present for these suits, but they appear to be genuine. Does anyone have more information on these suits, whether they are backups or training pieces? For that matter, does anyone know if the Frank Borman suit in the glass case is flown or not? The exhibit has stairs that allow you to go down to ground level of the pit, and a display of Apollo items encircles the top of the pit back on the main level. This display includes lunar tongs, a lunar trenching tool, five examples of Apollo food packages, Jim Lovell's flown Apollo 8 Chronograph, a defecation collection kit, and a Dave Scott coverall. In the center is a lunar sample collected on Apollo 17. In the back of the gallery is a full-size mockup of Shuttle Atlantis's crew compartment, a SpaceX Dragon model, an ISS walkthrough mockup, and a remote-control mars rover exhibit that was closed for maintenance on my visit.

I'm surprised that I have not visited this museum on my previous visits to Chicago. I have been lucky that admission and parking to all the other space museums combined adds up to a surprisingly low amount of around $70, while this museum's parking and admission alone was $44. This should be expected in a city like Chicago however and was worth it to me even just to see Aurora 7 and Apollo 8. I am sad that this trip is coming to a close, but I have one quick stop before the long drive home. Last stop, the Cernan Earth and Space Center!

spaceman
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From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 11-19-2021 12:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman   Click Here to Email spaceman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by spaceman:
El Kabong 1; terrific restoration
Origin of the El Kabong 1 name: "Of all the heroes in legend and song, there's none as brave as El Kabong." It appears that the name originated with Quick Draw McGraw rather than Li'l Abner. A collectSPACE'r mailed me with further info following my earlier post — thank you.

Headshot
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From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 11-19-2021 01:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Headshot   Click Here to Email Headshot     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Getting so close to the Aurora 7 Mercury Capsule was really a treat. Pressing your face to the plexiglass cover and looking inside at the mannequin makes you realize just how cramped the inside of that thing is. I still remember the old Mercury astronaut joke about how one did not get into that capsule, but rather one put it on!

Nice review. The MSI was always my favorite museum in Chicago. Aurora 7 and Apollo 8 are certainly prize exhibits.

The U-505 German submarine exhibit is awesome too. Much better now that it inside. Originally, there was no mention of the captured Enigma machine when the sub was outside next to the museum, but history has loosened up a little bit.

These have been great reports, I have enjoyed them a lot. Thanks.

ManInSpace
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From: Brooklin, Ontario Canada
Registered: Feb 2018

posted 11-19-2021 05:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ManInSpace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The first Enigma machine was captured from the U-110 on May 9, 1941; by the British crew of H.M.S. Bulldog.

The second captured Enigma was taken off the U-559 on October 31, 1942; by a boarding party from H.M.S. Petard.

Dave_Johnson
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Registered: Feb 2014

posted 11-19-2021 05:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave_Johnson   Click Here to Email Dave_Johnson     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Zoo Keeper:
For that matter, does anyone know if the Frank Borman suit in the glass case is flown or not?
I believe it is. Notice the circular graphic next to the suit description in your photo of the suit display, indicating it is real and was mission flown.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 11-20-2021 10:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ah, good catch. The "It's real!" labels were prominent in this gallery so I didn't pay them much attention.

Zoo Keeper
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From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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posted 11-22-2021 02:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Zoo Keeper   Click Here to Email Zoo Keeper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Cernan Earth and Space Center was one quick last stop on the trip before hitting the road the same day. The facility is located on the campus of Triton College and is the type of museum I would have loved to have during my time in college. As you enter, an outdoor courtyard displays a Nike tomahawk missile and Apollo boilerplate BP-213 utilized in ocean recovery practice. Just inside the entrance doors are an RL-10 engine and a lunar module ascent engine.

The center is one room with display cases around the perimeter. A display case in the back houses a Gemini retromotor by itself. A larger display case to the left houses Cernan coveralls worn on Apollo 17 and Cernan's bubble helmet and gloves worn on Apollo 10. A display case to the left of this one houses a flown Apollo 12 American flag signed by the crew, a lunar module gyroscope, an attitude indicator, and a Saturn V model. The display case to the left of this houses Cernan's flown Apollo 10 A7L. I've now seen both Cernan and Stafford suits at the museums bearing their names, does anyone know if John Young's Apollo 10 suit is displayed? Additional cases display a small fossil and mineral collection and a telescope display. While very small, this museum took 30 minutes and fit perfectly into a day of driving 12 hours back to Oklahoma City.

This trip has been incredible. By my count I saw seven flown spacecraft, four unflown spacecraft, approximately 14 spacesuits, lunar samples from four of the six moon landings, and thousands of other NASA artifacts. By staying with friends and visiting inexpensive or free museums, this trip cost just over $500 all said and done. I am far from a wealthy individual and any extra funds naturally go toward my Mercury artifact collection at home, so I am happy that this trip stayed more or less on budget. There are several museums that I now consider must-sees for any space enthusiast and will be returning to when I am in the area next.

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