Courtesy of NASA
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA).
The Apollo 11 command module Columbia has been to the moon and back, but it’s had a homebody history since.
In fact, it's been ensconced at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C following a national tour that ended in the early 1970s.
Soon, it will be traveling again, although not as far as the roughly 238,000-mile trip it made to carry astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin to the moon in the summer of 1969.
Instead, the command module will be making stops at four Smithsonian-affiliated institutions, including the Saint Louis Science Center, as part of “Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission,” which includes other artifacts that made the interstellar voyage. Other stops include Space Center Houston, the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, and Seattle Museum of Flight. It will be on display at the science center from April 14 through September 3.
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Apollo 11 command module Columbia
“I think it's relevant to describe our mission, which is to ignite and and sustain life-long science and technology learning,” says Christian Greer, the science center’s chief officer for science, education, and experience. “We definitely feel like this exhibit exemplifies that mission in a lot of ways because what better to ignite someone's interest than a rocket launch? You have ignition and you have lift off.”
Science center officials hope the exhibit—which may never hit the road again—will draw former Boeing and McDonnell company employees who were an integral part of the evolution of spacecraft and travel, science center members, and space enthusiasts. The science center also has a Mercury and Gemini capsule on display in its James S. McDonnell Planetarium, named for the aerospace pioneer who founded the St. Louis-based McDonnell Aircraft Corp.
“So this will be one of the rare occasions when you have a Mercury capsule, a Gemini capsule, and and an Apollo capsule in the same facility,” Greer says.
Science center staff are also working on supplemental material that will fill 8,000 square feet of exhibit space in addition to the 5,000-square-foot traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian, adding a St. Louis feel.
Courtesy of NASA
The three Apollo 11 crew await pickup by a helicopter from the USS Hornet, prime recovery ship for the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.
For instance, the exhibit area starts with a walk through a St. Louis streetscape that will include a 1960s toy store, convenience store, and television repair shop where sets will be tuned to episodes of I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, Star Trek, and other series from the era with space-themed episodes.
“We’ll be showing those to kind of take you back in time,” Greer says.
The science center’s additions will also include a Midcentury modern-style living room.
“And playing right there on the television will be the original broadcasts of the moon launch and landing," Greer adds. "We've been able to splice some videos together that tell the story.”
The exhibit ends with a science center–designed interactive area that features a mock Mission Control, a lunar module that visitors can walk through, and capsule modeled after those of the Apollo era that space enthusiasts can clamber into to press buttons and throw levers.
Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
2012-0026_2013-02663
The interior of the Apollo 11 Command Module
“When you see the [actual] capsule and you think about the astronauts traveling in that and landing on the moon, the first thing you want to do is climb inside it and see what it’s all about and press some buttons,” Greer says. “But, because it’s a priceless artifact, you can’t. You don’t want to damage the spacecraft, so we’re recreating it.”
The science center also developed video games that will allow visitors of all ages to see if they have “The Right Stuff” to park a lunar lander and the like. Some of these interactive activities might become part of the science center’s permanent collection, and Greer hopes they and “Destination: Moon” spark people’s passion for space exploration.
“My personal hope is that some young child or student will come to the exhibit and be inspired to go into aerospace, perhaps become an astronaut," he says. "And wouldn't it be great if the first person to walk on Mars was from St Louis?"
