Inside Apollo 11
The Smithsonian Institution's 3D Digitalization Program will make it possible for space buffs and amateur astronomers to experience what it was like inside the spacecraft that landed the first men on the moon. The team is using high-tech imaging systems to capture thousands of images of the rarely-seen interior of Apollo 11 capsule, and stitching them together to create an immersive 3D video, as well detailed 3D models.
In this photo, the 3D scanning team works with staff at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, in Washington, D.C., December 7, 2015.
Inside Apollo 11
Allan Needell, space history curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, described the 3D imaging project as an "indescribable thrill." He says it provides a unique way to let the public see inside the Apollo 11 capsule without jeopardizing the object's sustainability.
"It's an icon and people want to have access to it, to stand next to the real thing, and you want to preserve it for future generations, and not to change anything about it," he said.
Inside Apollo 11
During the 3D scanning project of Apollo 11, museum staff uncovered writing on the interior walls of the command module. These notes illustrate improvisation during the mission and modification of pre-flight plans for what items were to be placed in each locker. The reasons suggest something about what life was like on the way to the moon and back.
Inside Apollo 11
On this Apollo 11 wall panel, numbers and other notations copied from mission control voice transmissions were recorded in pen or pencil, just to the left of where command module pilot, Michael Collins, would have stood using the spacecraft's sextant and telescope for navigation. Audio and recorded transcripts of those communications can be compared with these numbers to suggest when and by whom they were written.
Inside Apollo 11
At some point during the mission, one of the astronauts created a small calendar on a smooth wall below one of the lockers. Each day of the Apollo 11 mission is crossed out except for landing day. The calendar is covered with a plastic sheet held by tape.
"The calendar is fascinating to me," said curator Allan Needell. "In space, you don't have sunrises or sunsets, you can't keep track of the day. You know that your family downstairs is going through the normal routine. And to sort of keep some association with normal life on Earth is something I know I would want to do. So it gives you the opportunity to sort of empathize."
Inside Apollo 11
The main control panel of the spacecraft contains essential switches and indicators that had to be referred to and operated during the most crucial aspects of the flight. Numbers and references written by hand onto the panel can be checked against the audio and written transcripts from the mission to provide a more vivid picture of just what transpired.
Inside Apollo 11
Locker B2 was initially used to store astronaut's personal items. Sometime during the mission, a handwritten note saying "smelly waste" indicates it was needed for something else.
"They just wanted to warn themselves that this is probably a locker that they should probably leave closed until after the mission was over," Needell said.
Inside Apollo 11
Staff from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum work with the 3D scanning team on three-dimensional capture of the interior of the Apollo 11 Command Module. The painstaking scanning process took two weeks.
Inside Apollo 11
A rare photo from inside the Apollo 11 command module shortly after its return from space.
After they landed, the three Apollo 11 astronauts were quarantined for several weeks at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Texas. Quarantined with them was a photographer and technician, John Hirasaki (pictured here), who was given the job of removing essential items from the Command Module and decontaminating the interior.
This image was taken during the quarantine period and shows the condition of the cabin shortly after its arrival back in the country. Note the calendar visible just to the left of Hirasaki.
Apollo 11
This NASA photo from July 20, 1969 shows astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. saluting the U.S. flag on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission.
Apollo 11
In this photo from July 20, 1969 , Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, right, trudges across the surface of the moon, leaving behind footprints. The U.S. flag, planted on the surface by the astronauts, can be seen between Armstrong and the lunar module. Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin is seen closer to the craft. The men reported the surface of the moon was like soft sand and they left footprints several inches deep wherever they walked.
Apollo 11
In this photo from the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin walks by the footpad of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module.