It's Been Fifty Years

Did You Know? - The MR-2 capsule on display at the Science Center is the actual capsule that went into space with HAM on board. Inside the space capsule, you can even see Ham's couch.

After the MR-2 capsule returned from its trip to space, the Navy used it to practice helping a person out of the capsule and retrieving the capsule from the ocean. These practice missions helped the teams prepare for later Mercury missions, many of which were manned by human astronauts. If you look closely at the nose of the capsule we have on display, you'll see yellow paintings that look like hieroglyphs (see photos at left). The paintings were done by the rescue team members to keep a record of what happened on each practice mission.

The MR-2 capsule is on loan from the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Did You Know? - The Gemini 11 on display in the Air and Space Gallery is the actual capsule that went out into space in September 1966, on loan to us from the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

On the bottom of the craft, you can see the pattern that was burned into the heat shield when the capsule reentered the Earth's atmosphere. During reentry, friction with the atmosphere heated the shield, made of fiberglass and resin, up to 1,900° Celsius (3,500° F). The outer surface vaporized from a solid to a gas. As it boiled away, it carried away heat. The black pattern on the heat shield is made of the carbon residue left behind. The pattern isn't centered on the heat shield because the capsule came into the atmosphere at an angle. Entering at an angle gave the capsule some lift, like a wing. The commander could adjust the reentry flight path if needed.

Did You Know? - The Apollo command module on display at the California Science Center was flown by American astronauts Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton and Vance Brand to rendezvous with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft parked in orbit around the Earth. Although built to fly to the moon as Apollo 18, its mission was changed when funding was cut for the Apollo program. The Science Center's Apollo capsule is on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum.

Did You Know? - January 27, 1967 - three weeks before their scheduled launch - astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were participating in a simulated count-down aboard their Apollo 1 spacecraft. Suddenly, fire flashed through the pure oxygen atmosphere of the cabin. Despite their efforts to escape, the crew perished within minutes. The tragedy prompted an urgent redesign of the Apollo Command Module side hatch. The old hatch took 30 seconds to open.

After the accident the crew egress requirements were drastically changed. The crew had to be able to open the hatch in 3 seconds and egress within 30 seconds

Did You Know? - The temperature on the CM's surface climbed up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, but the heat shields protected the inner structure of the CM. The heat shield was ablative, which means that it was designed to melt and erode away from the CM as it heated up. From the ground, it would look as if the CM had caught on fire during its descent. In reality, the ablative covering is what kept the astronauts inside the CM safe -- the material diverted heat away as it vaporized.

Did You Know? - Orbiter Vehicle-105 completed 25 missions into space, including the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and the first mission to add a U. S. built component to the International Space Station.

Did You Know? - Built to replace space shuttle Challenger, Endeavor was the final orbiter to join the shuttle fleet. Many newer features were added to Endeavor during construction, such as updated steering mechanisms, upgraded plumbing and electrical connections to allow for longer missions, and a drag chute that reduced wear and tear on the shuttle's brakes and tires. Many of the innovations that were developed for Endeavor were added later to the other shuttles in the fleet.

Did You Know? - When installed in the orbiter's payload bay, the SPACEHAB Logistics Module (called the SPACEHAB) serves as a kind of astronauts' workshop. SPACEHAB gave astronauts extra living space aboard the shuttle, as well as room to do science and store supplies and tools. A tunnel connected the pressurized SPACEHAB to the orbiter's crew compartment, so astronauts could reach it—and work inside it—without putting on spacesuits. On some missions, two modules were flown together to make a SPACEHAB Logistics Double Module, providing more room for experiments and storage.

SPACEHAB modules flew on the shuttle 18 times, and the first and last SPACEHAB missions were flown on Endeavor. On many missions, NASA stocked SPACEHAB with equipment for delivery to Mir or the International Space Station. SPACEHAB also carried experiments for international space agencies, universities, and corporations, including experiments to test materials for improved contact lenses, develop better medicines to fight diseases, and produce crystals for use in advanced electronics. On one flight, SPACEHAB even carried an experiment intended to test the flavor and carbonation of Coca-Cola® in space.

Did You Know? - Endeavor made several historic assembly missions to the International Space Station (ISS), including STS-88, in which the crew added the first U.S. component, the Unity Module, to the ISS. On STS-100, Endeavor delivered the Canadarm2 robotic arm and hand, and on STS-123, Endeavor added the first element of Japan's Kibo module as well as an additional robotic arm, Dextre.

Endeavor's final mission, in May 2011, delivered spare parts to the International Space Station, including parts for the Dextre arm it had installed many missions before. Endeavor leaves an amazing legacy in space—and shares part of that legacy with Los Angeles, California, and the world from right here at the California Science Center.

Did You Know? - Reinforced carbon–carbon (RCC), used in the nose cap, the chin area between the nose cap and nose landing gear doors, the arrowhead aft of the nose landing gear door, and the wing leading edges. Used where reentry temperature exceeded 1,260 °C (2,300 °F).

High-temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI) tiles, used on the orbiter underside

Did You Know? - Apollo 11 is a 2019 American documentary film edited, produced and directed by Todd Douglas Miller. It focuses on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, the first spaceflight from which men walked on the Moon. The film consists solely of archival footage, including 70 mm film previously unreleased to the public, and does not feature narration, interviews or modern recreations. The Saturn V rocket, Apollo crew consisting of Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins, and Apollo program Earth-based support staff are prominently featured in the film.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2019, and was released theatrically in the United States by Neon on March 1, 2019. Apollo 11 has received acclaim from critics and grossed $10 million.