How a forgotten piece of Apollo 17 equipment returned to the spotlight
In short: After decades of silence in storage, a vital piece of lunar history has been rediscovered. This is the story of how museum experts transform a dusty relic into a centerpiece for a major new exhibition, using microscopic precision to preserve the tools that allowed humans to walk on the moon.
The journey of an artifact from storage to the museum floor is a complex collaborative effort. At the National Air and Space Museum, a dedicated group—comprising a designer, a conservator, an exhibition curator, and an object mount maker—works to animate a new piece. These professionals must do far more than simply select an item from a list; they must meticulously examine the object, treat any identified problems, and engineer the necessary physical support to ensure it remains stable for the entire duration of its public display.
A striking example of this process involves a specific piece of hardware: the Oxygen Purge System cover used by Gene Cernan. Following his moonwalk during the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan returned this component to Earth, and NASA sealed it in a package only weeks after the mission concluded. For several decades, this piece of history sat untouched and virtually unknown within the museum's vast storage facilities.
After staying concealed for decades, the item was found again in 2013, making it ideal for the 'Outside the Spacecraft: Fifty Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity' display. To prepare it for the public, museum conservator Lisa Young employs microscopic examination to analyze the materials. This level of scrutiny is essential for preserving the integrity of artifacts that have survived the rigors of space travel, ensuring that the legacy of human flight is maintained for future generations.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: What's New In Aerospace from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC
- Also: airandspace.si.edu — Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum | National Air and Space Museum
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