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Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 Close Call
Posted on Jul 19, 2019
In this guest blog from Smithsonian Channel, we share the story of Neil Armstrong's Lunar Landing Research Vehicle crash in May 1968.
Topics: Apollo programSpacecraftTechnology and Engineering
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"One Small Step for Man" or "a Man"?
Posted on Jul 17, 2019
Spacesuit curator Cathleen Lewis explains Neil Armstrong's quote appears the way it does in the case of Neil Armstrong's spacesuit.
Topics: SpaceflightApollo programHuman spaceflightMoon (Earth)People
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"We Choose to Go to the Moon" and Other Apollo Speeches
Posted on Jul 17, 2019
We take a look at the famous speeches that led to the first Moon landing, and one that thankfully never had to be delivered.
Topics: SpaceflightApollo programPeople
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Conserving a Wearable Legacy
Posted on Jul 16, 2019
Before returning Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit to display in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, it underwent extensive conservation and a state-of-the-art display case and mannequin was designed to protect it while on display.
Topics: SpaceflightApollo programHuman spaceflightBehind the scenes
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Digitizing Neil Armstrong’s Spacesuit
Posted on Jul 16, 2019
Working with the museum, the Smithsonian's Digitization Program Office 3D scanned Neil Armstrong's spacesuit, helmet, and gloves. The resulting 3D models, which have been fully annotated by the suit’s curator and conservator, are now available.
Topics: Apollo programHuman spaceflightBehind the scenes
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What Breakthroughs are on the Launch Pad?
Posted on Jul 15, 2019
In this guest blog, Dr. Thomas A. Kennedy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Raytheon Company, reflects on what comes next.
Topics: SpaceflightApollo programSpacecraftTechnology and Engineering
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The Social Value of Abstraction in Lamar Dodd’s NASA Art
Posted on Jul 12, 2019
From an outsider’s perspective, Lamar Dodd must have seemed like an unlikely choice for a commission to create paintings on the subject of space. Dodd was in the first group recruited for the NASA Art Program, which tasked artists with translating the cultural and scientific monumentality of the space missions to a national audience.
Topics: SpaceflightApollo programMercury programArtPeople
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Ground Control to Major Tom: The Apollo Playlist Part 1
Posted on Jul 11, 2019
On July 11, 1969 – only 5 days before Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin set out on their journey to the Moon – a relatively unknown British musician named David Bowie released a single titled Space Oddity.
Topics: Apollo programArtSociety and Culture
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Dog-Eared on the Moon?
Posted on Jul 10, 2019
When early astronauts traveled into space, and in this case, the Moon, lives depended on communications equipment that kept them in contact at all times with those stationed on Earth, like this "Snoopy Cap" communications carrier.
Topics: SpaceflightApollo programHuman spaceflight
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Support at Predawn: The NASA Art Program and James Dean
Posted on Jul 09, 2019
The NASA Art Program played an important role in representing the excitement and public interest in early spaceflight missions like Apollo 11. As we look back at key moments from the historic missions, we do so not only through photographs and oral histories, but through the eyes of artists as well.
Topics: Apollo programHuman spaceflightMercury programArt