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Armstrong Air & Space Museum facts for kids
Armstrong Air & Space Museum with statue in 2019
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| Former name | Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum |
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| Established | 20 July 1972 |
| Location | Wapakoneta, Ohio |
| Type | History/Science Museum |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
| Visitors | > 40,000 |
| Architect | Arthur Klipfel |
| Historian | Greg Brown |
The Armstrong Air & Space Museum is an exciting museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio. This town is the hometown of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon! The museum opened in 1972. It shows how people from Ohio have helped with flying and space travel.
Inside, you can see the real Gemini 8 spacecraft. Neil Armstrong flew this craft to do the first ever space docking! You can also see two of Armstrong's space suits. There are many items from the Apollo Program missions. Plus, there's a real Moon rock brought back during the Apollo 11 mission. The museum also has an F5D Skylancer plane.
The museum has several main areas. These areas cover spaceflight history. They show everything from the start of the Space Race to the end of the Space Shuttle era. In the museum's Astro-theater, you can watch cool videos. These videos are shown on the inside of a big dome.
The Armstrong Museum is part of a larger group of museums. These are owned by the Ohio History Connection. The National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA) also lists the museum as a partner. They say it helps save important aerospace history. Even though the museum is named after Neil Armstrong, he was not officially connected to it. He also did not make money from the museum.
Contents
Neil Armstrong's Early Life
Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930. He was born on his grandparents' farm near Wapakoneta, Ohio. His parents were Stephen and Viola Armstrong. Neil was their oldest child. Stephen Armstrong worked as an auditor. He checked books from different counties in Ohio.
Because of his dad's job, Neil's family moved many times. They moved over thirteen times during Neil's childhood. Eventually, they settled back in Wapakoneta in the mid-1940s. While living in Wapakoneta, Neil finished high school. He also got his pilot's license. He learned to fly at the Port Koneta Airfields, which is now closed.
After high school, Neil went to Purdue University. He studied aeronautical engineering there. His studies were paused when the Navy called him. He served in the Korean War conflict.
Museum History
On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were still on the Moon. At that time, Ohio Governor James Rhodes suggested building a museum. It would be in Armstrong's hometown of Wapakoneta. This museum would honor him. Rhodes said the building would honor "all Ohioans who attempted to defy gravity."
The governor promised that Ohio would give $500,000 for the project. But the community had to raise the same amount. People in Wapakoneta started raising money right away. A group of residents formed a fundraising committee. Over 9,000 people in the area gave money in the first year. They raised $528,313.55. This was more than the governor asked for!
Building the Museum
Governor Rhodes chose Dan Porter to lead the project. He was from the Ohio Historical Society. Soon after, a committee was formed. They shared ideas, accepted bids, and collected items. The museum's winning design was very special. It looked like a lunar base.
The building is made of steel-reinforced concrete. It has large earth mounds around it. These mounds make it look like it's underground. On the Moon, these mounds would protect a base. They would shield it from tiny meteorites and harsh space radiation. The most noticeable part of the building is its large white dome. This dome is in the center. It would have been a pressure dome if it were on the Moon. Because it is white, and linked to the Apollo 11 mission, the dome also looks like the Moon. A long, straight walkway with airport lights leads visitors to the entrance. This walkway was designed to look like a lunar landing strip.
The groundbreaking ceremony happened on April 16, 1970. It was on a 16-acre farm field on the east side of the city. Tom Crouch from the Ohio Historical Society created the inside exhibits. Years later, Crouch became a Curator for the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Many of the first items in the museum were the Gemini VIII spacecraft, an H-1 rocket engine, and Armstrong's spacesuits.
The museum officially opened on July 20, 1972. This was three years after the historic Moon landing. Neil Armstrong and his family attended the grand opening. Tricia Nixon Cox, President Richard M. Nixon's daughter, was also there. She brought an Apollo 11 lunar sample to the museum for display. About 10,000 people came to the opening. The doors opened at 2:00 pm.
Museum Updates
The museum had its first big expansion in the late 1990s. A garden on the south side of the museum was removed. The Modern Space Gallery was built there. This gallery tells the story of space after the Apollo Program. It focuses on the Space Shuttle Program and how space travel has grown. This area has two fun simulators. Visitors can try to land a Lunar Module on the Moon. Or they can land the Space Shuttle on a runway.
Another big update happened in 2019. The Neil Armstrong STEM Inspiration Center was added. This is a classroom space. School groups can do hands-on activities and experiments there. The center is also used for many events the museum hosts all year.
In August 2020, the museum received a special donation. It was the first production Learjet 28 plane. Neil Armstrong used this plane to set five aerospace records. The museum finished updating its lobby in January 2024.
Museum Exhibits
Spacecraft and Planes
- Gemini 8 spacecraft, flown by Neil Armstrong and David Scott in 1966.
- Douglas F5D Skylancer plane.
- Aeronca Champion, the first plane Neil Armstrong learned to fly.
- Learjet 28 Longhorn, the only aircraft Neil Armstrong set world aviation records in.
Space Suits and Clothes
- Neil Armstrong's Gemini 8 spacesuit.
- Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 backup spacesuit.
- In-flight suit worn by astronaut Eugene Cernan. He later became the last person on the Moon.
- Constant wear garment worn by astronaut Jim Lovell.
- Flight garment worn by Ohio astronaut Terence T. Henricks on STS-70.
- A copy of a pressure suit worn by Space Shuttle Program astronauts.
- Soviet hydrosuit used in 1978 on Salyut 6.
- Soviet flight suit used during the Mir space station era.
Space Items
- United States flag taken on the Apollo 11 mission by Neil Armstrong.
- Heel restraints from the Command Module Columbia during the Apollo 11 mission.
- A lunar sample – this is what NASA calls a Moon rock.
- Apollo 11 heat shield fragment.
- A copy of Sputnik I.
- Early space food, hygiene tools, and sleeping bags.
- Personal items from Ohio astronaut Judith Resnik.
- Shuttle tire from the Space Shuttle Endeavour.