Field Notes from Wapakoneta, OH

Where is Wapokenta, OH (besides Ohio obviously)? And why would anyone want to go there? Well, besides the beautiful scenery, there is really only one reason to visit this small town (pronounced Wa-pa-coe-nee-ta) if you ask a space enthusiast. As far as space museums go, it must be one of the best-kept secrets in the United States. I only discovered it really by a small blurb in a weekly periodical that noted the museum was being restored. Luckily, a few months later, I had to drive to Pennsylvania and the museum would only wind up being about a two-hour detour (roundtrip) from the main highway.

A few miles after entering Ohio from Indiana on Interstate 70, I took Highway 75 North to Wapakoneta. The landscape is typical Ohio; rolling hills, and abundant farmland stocked with a plethora of livestock. The Neil Armstrong Space Museum itself is nestled around a small park directly next to Interstate 75. The museum’s design is based on Earth Shelter architecture, made popular in the middle 1970’s. Because of this desired style, most of the building is built into a small hill. The exterior that does show, is dark and unassuming with a bare concrete texture. There is also a dome in the center, which highlights the building. When visitors pull into the ample parking lot, a large orange test airplane greets them. Armstrong flew this airplane, called a F5D Sky Lancer, when he was a test pilot.

The museum attempts to capture the life and achievements of Neil Armstrong, but it also has a wide variance of space program hardware. After entering the museum, and after a mundane synopsis of the space race, the Gemini 8 spacecraft appears around the bend. This spacecraft is the jewel of the museum. It has been beautifully restored at some point after its duration in space(I have never seen a more completely preserved and restored Gemini spacecraft). The interior is beautifully lit, and a careful examination can be afforded. The capsule is also positioned in such a way that you can see the entire interior quite easily.

Beyond the beautiful Gemini-Titan 8, Armstrong’s personal airplane that he flew as a teenager is pinned against a wall. There are many other noteworthy artifacts, but I found a small case particularly interesting. Inside of it, viewers can examine a DSKY (Display and Keyboard) which is essentially the computer used in the Apollo spacecraft. This “computer” had less memory than today's typical calculator. Next to the DSKY is a carbon dioxide canister used in the Apollo spacecraft (you may remember it was the crew of Apollo 13 who had to make a makeshift canister to survive during their return home from space). Nearby, is an Apollo docking hatch. This hatch is much like those used when astronauts had to dock their Apollo capsule with the lunar module. If you choose to, you can actually touch it. These kinds of displays may look like a hodgepodge of parts that seem to have little meaning, but in reality they are the nuts and bolts of the space program. Beyond the marvel of the Gemini Titan 8 that Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott piloted to complete the first manned docking in space, the museum is filled to the brim with worthy objects to study and admire.

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