continued… The last Apollo mission was in 1972. The program ended primarily because American public support for the space program had waned due to concerns about the costs amid the expensive and controversial Vietnam War.

Next were some small displays about subsequent missions. There was a hiatus in the moon program until 1994, when it resumed with the launch of a Defense Department robotic craft called Clementine. NASA followed up with flights in 1998 and then again from 2009 – 2013.

In 2009, NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to provide high resolution imagery of the moon. We think this was a replica, but once again, since it was hanging from the ceiling, we’re not 100% sure.

In 2022, NASA, in conjunction with several other countries, launched the Artemis program. They sent an uncrewed mission in 2022. They plan to send a 4-person crew to orbit around the moon in 2026. Artemis III will have a lunar landing. The long term goal is to have a space station in lunar orbit to be the base for further exploration of the moon and mars.

continued… we were already starting to feel like our brains were full. Realizing we couldn’t see the whole museum today, we headed upstairs to the rooms that we wanted to see the most. This Northrop T-38 was hanging over the stairwell. Jacqueline Cochran set eight world records in this jet. At the time of her death in 1980, she had broken more speed, altitude and distance records than any other pilot — than 200, including breaking the sound barrier. Fun fact – she emphasized her femininity and had a line of cosmetics called Wings to Beauty!

Upstairs, the first room that we went into was called Destination Moon. In October 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first satellite, called Sputnik. In 1958, the US responded by creating a new government agency called the National Aeronautics and Space Aviation (NASA), whose goal was to put a man into orbit. The space race was on!

In January 1959, the Soviet Union’s robotic spacecraft, Luna One, left Earth’s orbit and got within 3,700 miles of the moon. In March 1959, the US launched a spacecraft, called Pioneer IV, that successfully left Earth’s Orbit. We think this is a replica of Pioneer, but we’re not sure. It can be hard to match the signs on the ground with the objects hanging from the ceiling.