Apollo 50

Space historian Paul Ceruzzi looks at a less well-known detail of the Apollo 13 mission: the Inertial Measurement Unit, which was essential to ensuring the safe return of the astronauts after an explosion damaged the service module on the way to the Moon.　

Deputy director Chris Browne reflects on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission.

Space history curator Jennifer Levasseur examines photographs taken during the Apollo 13 mission and how they helped NASA understand what went wrong with the service module.

Curator Margaret Weitekamp looks at the history and significance of one of our most iconic artifacts from the mission: Gene Kranz's white vest.

In the late 1960s, Poppy Northcutt was a return-to-Earth specialist with TRW, working on a contract with NASA on one of the most exciting adventures of the 20th century: humanity’s quest for the Moon. With computer programming skills and a degree in mathematics, she worked with her team at TRW on the development of the return-to-Earth program. And she became the first woman in Mission Control.

On September 6, 1969, Neil Armstrong was welcomed home with a parade in his hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio, with flags, banners, Bob Hope, and the Goodyear Blimp.

Before Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon and before he flew on Gemini 8, he was a NASA test pilot. Noted for his engineering excellence and technical capability as a pilot, Armstrong became one of only 12 pilots to fly the ultimate experimental aircraft – the North American X-15.

In this blog celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, we explore how the astronauts listened to music during the mission, what was on their playlists, and musical critiques of the Apollo program.

In this guest blog from Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Roy Avezedo reflects on Raytheon's role in the Apollo 11 mission and what comes next.

As the Museum celebrates the anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, we also celebrate some of the unique pieces of memorabilia created to mark that human achievement. In addition to the pins, patches, buttons, medals, matchbooks, sweatshirts, and commemorative plates the Smithsonian holds in the national collection, this unique ladies handbag is one of my favorites.