The Apollo 11 space module is famous for being the first carrier of men to the moon in 1969. Placed at the Smithsonian Institution for the last 46 years, this historical spacecraft will embark on a Pan- America road trip very soon.
According to USA Today, the Apollo 11 will go on a two-year-long national tour dubbed "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the historic voyage. The tour will be run by the Smithsonian Institution Travelling Exhibition Service. The head of the service, Myriam Springuel says that it is a privilege on their part to take the spacecraft across the country and to share the legacy of the historical piece with the people of America.
Before this, the capsule had left on a nation-wide tour in the early 1970's. It's been on display for the most part of the last 40 years at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The capsule was the main living area for the first men to go to the moon and back, astronauts Micheal Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. It is the only part of the spacecraft that came back to Earth.
According to National Public Radio, during the upcoming tour, the Apollo 11 is scheduled to travel to the Space Centre Houston (October 14, 2017 - March 18, 2018), St. Louis Science Center, Missouri (April 14 - Sept 3, 2018), Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburg (Sept 29, 2018 - Feb 18, 2019) and The Museum of Flight, Seattle (March 16 - Sept 2, 2019). These museums were picked on the basis of a number of a number of criteria, including their ability to place and display such a large and heavy object.
All the selected venues had to submit engineering documentation in order to make sure that their floor load could support not just the Apollo 11 but also the peripheral traveling exhibits. A very special artifact, the command module weighs more than 13600 lbs on its traveling ring.
To see the Apollo 11 outside Washington is considered as a once in a lifetime opportunity. Once it returns to the Smithsonian, it will be adorned as a centerpiece of a new "Destination Moon" exhibit scheduled to open in 2021, which will be depicting the story of lunar adventures till date.
