Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum

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The entrance to the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in August 2012

The Armstrong Air and Space Museum is a museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio, the hometown of Neil Armstrong, first man to set foot on the moon. The museum chronicles Ohio's contributions to the history of space flight. Among the items on display are an F5D Skylancer, the Gemini 8 spacecraft in which Armstrong flew (and in which he made the first space docking), Apollo 11 artifacts and a moon rock. In the museum's Astro-theater, multimedia presentations of the sights and sounds of space unfold against a starry background.

The Armstrong Museum is located just west of I-75 at exit 111 (Bellefontaine Street) in Wapakoneta. The museum is operated by the Ohio Historical Society and has no formal relationship with Armstrong. The museum is a component of the National Aviation Heritage Area.[1]

The F5D Skylancer on display outside the museum

Contents

Neil Armstrong's Early Years [edit]

Mr. Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 on his grandparents' farm, in Auglaize County, near Wapakoneta. He had a sister, June, and a brother, Dean. His parents were Stephen and Viola Armstrong. They raised their family in the small town of Wapakoneta.[2]

Early Interest in Flight [edit]

"Armstrong developed an interest in flying at an early age. His curiosity about airplanes was aroused at age two when his father took him to the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. His interest intensified when he went for his first plane ride in a Ford Tri-Motor, a 'Tin Goose', in Warren, Ohio, at age six...At age 15, Armstrong began taking flying lessons at an airport north of Wapakoneta. At the time, lessons were $9 an hour. Armstrong worked at various odd jobs in town and at the airport to earn the money for these lessons in an Aeronca Champion airplane [On display in the museum]. By age 16, he had his student pilot's license, before he got his driver's license."[3]

Armstrong's Navy uniforms

First Man on the Moon [edit]

Astronaut Armstrong was the first human to set foot (his left, specifically) on the surface of Earth's Moon on July 20, 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 space mission.[4]

Exhibit Hall showing Soviet space display and the first American astronauts

Museum Built in His Honor [edit]

At the time of Neil Armstrong's first step onto the Moon, then Ohio Governor James Rhodes proposed to build a museum in Armstrong's hometown of Wapakoneta in his honor. The museum also was to honor "all Ohioans who have attempted to defy gravity."[5]

Today, exhibits detail the feats of the Wright Brothers and Ohioan Astronaut John Glenn.[6]

Museum Financing [edit]

Through Governor Rhodes, the State of Ohio pledged $500,000 dependent on local matching funds. A total of $528,313.55 was raised by Wapakoneta residents and other interested parties, including school children who held fund-raising drives."[5]

Museum Groundbreaking [edit]

Groundbreaking took place in 1970. "The design was unique. Earth was mounded around the steel-reinforced concrete building, giving he building the semblance of being underground."[5] Its distinguishing feature is a large globe dome that houses the Astro Theater.

Museum Grand Opening [edit]

On July 20, 1972, three years after the historic Moon landing, the museum held its grand opening, honored by the attendance of Mr. Armstrong, and of Tricia Nixon Cox, standing in for her father, Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States."[5]

Museum Exhibits [edit]

"The museum features many one-of-a-kind artifacts, including the Gemini VIII spacecraft, Neil Armstrong's Gemini and Apollo spacesuits, and a lunar sample - the NASA term for a Moon rock. The museum is also home to two full-size aircraft, including the very airplane in which Neil Armstrong learned to fly."[7]

One of Armstrong's two Apollo space suits

Hands-On Exhibits [edit]

"The museum is designed for the experimental learner. There are seven interactive exhibits, ten audio/visual elements, and three simulators. Visitors can practice landing the lunar module and space shuttle or docking the Gemini capsule, just as Neil Armstrong did in 1966."[8]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Home of the Wright Brothers". National Aviation Heritage Area. Retrieved 16 March 2012. 
  2. ^ Neil A. Armstrong: Biography, brochure published by the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum, updated 2001
  3. ^ Neil A. Armstrong: Biography, brochure published by the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, updated in 2001
  4. ^ www.nasa.gov
  5. ^ a b c d Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum: Ohio's Place in Space, published by the Ohio Historical Society, copyright 2000.
  6. ^ Personal visit, August 31, 2012.
  7. ^ Discover the Moon brochure passed out on admission to the museum, published by the Ohio Historical Society.
  8. ^ Discover the Moon brochure passed out on admission to the museum.

External links [edit]

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Coordinates: 40°33′50″N 84°10′16″W / 40.56389°N 84.17111°W / 40.56389; -84.17111

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