Don’t miss the final stop of Apollo 11’s national tour

On July 24, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission met President Kennedy’s 1961 challenge of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth” before the end of the decade. Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission explores and honors that great achievement using genuine flown artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission on loan from the National Air and Space Museum. Featuring the Apollo command module Columbia — the only portion of the historic spacecraft to survive the lunar journey — the exhibition explores the birth and development of the American space program and the space race in time for the 50th anniversary of humankind’s greatest scientific achievement.

Destination Moon gives guest the rare opportunity to see artifacts that made the 953,000-mile journey possible, like Buzz Aldrin’s gold-plated extravehicular helmet visor and thermal-insulated gloves. The dizzying star chart that helped Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins navigate the historic journey and the rucksack and survival kit that accompanied the astronauts are also included. The star of the exhibition is the Columbia command module, on display outside the National Air and Space Museum for the first time since 1976.

“Artifacts so authentic you can almost smell the moon dust on them!"

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Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission is organized by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition is made possible by the support of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, Joe Clark, Bruce R. McCaw Family Foundation, the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, John and Susann Norton, and Gregory D. and Jennifer Walston Johnson.

The exhibition in Cincinnati is supported by the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, Western & Southern Financial Group, the Farmer Family Foundation and the Harold C. Schott Foundation, Tom and Francie Hiltz, Trustees.

Western and southern financial group logo
Jobs Ohio Logo
Farmer Family Foundation logo
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“So crazy to stand inches away from the command module!"

Command Module

Command Module Columbia

Manufacturer: North American Rockwell
Primary Materials: aluminum alloy, stainless steel, titanium

The only part of the Apollo 11 spacecraft to return intact to Earth. It was the three-person crew’s living quarters for most of the mission, from Cape Kennedy, to the Moon’s orbit, to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Aldrin's Visor

Aldrin’s Extravehicular Visor

Visor materials: gold-plated polycarbonate, UV-coated polycarbonate

The A7-L Lunar Extravehicular Visor Assembly consists of a polycarbonate shell onto which the cover, visors, hinges, eyeshades and latch are attached. It has two visors, one covered with a thermal control coating and the other with a gold optical coating. It also has two steel side sunshields, which could be raised and lowered independently. It provided impact, micrometeoroid, thermal, ultraviolet and infrared light protection.

Aldrin's Gloves

Aldrin’s Extravehicular Gloves

Primary exterior materials: beta cloth, Chromel-R, Velcro, rubber-silicone compound

The gloves were constructed of an outer shell of Chromel-R fabric with thermal insulation to provide protection while handling extremely hot or cold objects. The blue fingertips were made of silicone rubber to provide sensitivity. The inner glove was of a rubber/neoprene compound, into which the restraint system was integrated.

Rucksack 1, survival kit

Rucksack #1, Survival Kit

Each Apollo mission was equipped with two rucksacks providing equipment to allow for crew survival on Earth for up to 48 hours after landing. This is the first of the two rucksacks flown on Apollo 11. It includes three water containers, one radio beacon with spare battery, three pairs of sunglasses, six packages of desalted chemicals, one desalter kit, two survival lights, one machete and two bottles of sunscreen.

“If you’re a space nut, this exhibit is totally worth it!"

A New Moon Rises

The Moon is not the same place as when astronauts last stepped on foot on it. A New Moon Rises, a companion gallery to Destination Moon presented by the Smithsonian, features stunning large-scale photographs of the lunar surface captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Cameras (LROC) between 2009 and 2015. The highly detailed photographs reveal a celestial neighbor that is surprisingly dynamic and full of grandeur and wonder.

A New Moon Rises was created by the National Air and Space Museum and the Arizona State University, and is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

A New Moon Rises is included with admission to Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission.