Tag Archives: collections

Where There is Wool, There is a Way

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My coworkers and I are fortunate: every day, we get to touch pieces of history that few others ever lay hands on and seldom see. Why are we so privileged? We are helping to move some of the National Air and Space Museum’s collections from their previous storage site to new facilities at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Garber

Samantha Snell with wool service caps and garrison caps in various stages of preparation for shipment at the Paul E. Garber Facility. Photo by Eric Long.

The move team consists of contractors, interns, and volunteers overseen by project specialist Samantha Snell. In 2011 and 2012, following much planning, coordination and effort by staff, we helped pack up spacesuits; pressure garments for high-altitude flying; and fur and leather-based objects. This winter, we began the process of relocating more than 1,200 wool artifacts in the Museum’s collection. A year’s worth of blog posts could be devoted to the treasures contained in our shipping crates, such as uniform components like socks used during the exploits of Charles A. Lindbergh and Francis Gary Powers; a beret worn by Jacqueline Cochran; a graduation hood that belonged to Hugh Dryden; uniforms worn by Chuck Yeager, Kiffin Rockwell, Alexander de Seversky and William “Billy” Mitchell;  and even a plush gremlin!

Uniforms

Wool caps and coats, including a Pan Am stewardess topcoat and William “Billy” Mitchell’s U.S. Army dress coat are prepared for shipment at the Paul E. Garber Facility in Suitland, MD. From left to right, Katherine Watson, Amelia Kile, Ashley Koen, Stephanie Harris. Photo by Eric Long.

Representative examples of military uniforms used in World War I and World War II from major participating forces are part of the collection too, as well as civilian uniforms used by commercial airline pilots and flight attendants that reveal changing fashions and subtle (or not so subtle) messages about each airline’s corporate culture.

Each artifact has custom internal supports crafted to match its contours. These supports combat the disfiguring effects of gravity over time, which causes fabric to become stressed and prone to tearing at creases, folds, and seams. All the internal supports are made from archival, acid-free materials that help preserve the artifacts for as long as possible; so that future generations can learn from and enjoy them.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Members of the Move Team unpack wool caps and other artifacts from plastic shipping crates in the new storage facilities at the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Photo by Dane Penland.

The wool objects were being stored in the Museum’s facility in Suitland, Maryland. The buildings that make up this facility were constructed as early as the 1950s and were originally designed to house aircraft temporarily, so their use for small object storage was not ideal. The Udvar-Hazy Center’s new storage facility provides secure, climate-controlled storage designed specifically for small and medium-sized artifacts.  Now objects of like material and size can be stored together while not on display or loan. The result of this new storage space is maximized efficiency and benefit to the long-term preservation of these historic artifacts.

wool artifacts

Small wool artifacts, like this canteen used on Lindbergh’s Lockheed Sirius “Tingmissartoq,” are tracked in the Museum’s database using bar code scanning as they are relocated to new storage facilities at the Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center. From left to right, Stephanie Harris, Amelia Kile. Photo by Dane Penland.

As the last deliveries of wool artifacts are being scheduled, we are beginning to pack the remainder of the textiles based on material, including cotton, polyester, and silk. Even when the last small artifact is safely moved, there will be more work to be done. In the new Emil Buehler Conservation Laboratory, treatment is already underway on certain artifacts that have recently arrived. For now, we are enjoying the opportunity to be involved in relocating this unique collection.

Amelia Brakeman Kile is lead move contractor in the Collections Department of the National Air and Space Museum

 

That’s One Small Step. . .

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These suits have come a long way. True, it’s only 37 miles from Suitland, Maryland to Chantilly, VA. On a good day, that’s less than an hour’s drive on the beltway. But today, like 42 years ago, these suits are worlds away from where they came.

 

Neil Armstrong's Spacesuit

Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit, flown on Apollo 11, is inspected and prepared for shipment at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility. From left to right, Amelia Kile, Samantha Snell, Lisa Young, and Stephanie Harris. Photo by Eric Long

On December 6th, the spacesuit that Neil Armstrong wore as he took his first steps on the Moon made the giant leap from outdated storage facilities to new, state-of-the-art collections storage at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. About 200 suits are being relocated from the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland this winter. These include Michael Collins’ Apollo 11 suit and many more used to develop spacesuit technology and train astronauts.

 

Garber

Spacesuits are loaded onto the “Big Blue” tractor-trailer in Suitland, MD. From left to right, Stephanie Harris, Scott Wood, Pat Robinson, and Christine Cannon. Photo by Eric Long.

Museum staff sometimes calls the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center “the promised land.”  In some ways, the place is a museum worker’s (and culture buff’s) dream come true. The reason for this name? Conditions are ideal for the long-term preservation of these national treasures. Temperature, relative humidity, exposure to light, the elements, and pollutants can all seriously affect the life-expectancy of these beloved artifacts, but each can be tightly controlled at the new facility. Simply having a permanent, secure building with modern infrastructure and adequate physical space for each spacesuit ensures that the National Air and Space Museum’s comprehensive collection of spacesuits will survive for years to come.

 

Hazy

Spacesuits are delivered to the new storage facility. From left to right, Cathy Lewis, Amelia Kile, Stephanie Harris, Christine Cannon, Katherine Watson, Samantha Snell, Scott Wood, and Pat Robinson. Photo by Dane Penland.

In the relatively short time I have worked with the Museum, much progress has been made in preparing this collection to move to its new home, as curator Cathy Lewis explained in a previous post. Many collections staff, volunteers, interns, contractors, and more than one curator and conservator have worked with purpose and diligence in the last decade toward this day and this goal. It opens a new chapter for the Museum, begun earlier this year with the framed art collection. Now this collection will be more accessible to researchers and staff, and in turn, the public. I am honored to participate in this moment.

This is one of many “small” artifact collections being relocated to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in the next several years, so check back for updates on our progress.

Amelia Brakeman Kile is lead move contractor in the Collections Division of the National Air and Space Museum

A Lindbergh Treasure Trove

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National Air and Space Museum staff are hard at work renovating the Pioneers of Flight gallery, scheduled to open later this year.  It will be filled with the fascinating stories of the colorful personalities of early aviation, including Jimmy Doolittle, Bessie Coleman, Amelia Earhart, and Charles and Anne Lindbergh, plus Robert Goddard and other rocket pioneers.  One of the featured artifacts is the newly cleaned Lockheed Sirius Tingmissartoq, the dual cockpit plane that carried Charles and Anne Lindbergh on their exploratory trips across several continents in 1931 and 1933.  The trips made headlines and were the basis for two popular books written by Anne, North to the Orient and Listen, the Wind!

Cognizant of their place in history, the Lindberghs carefully saved the majority of items they packed for the trips. Now after several decades in storage, many will be on display for the first time.  Museum visitors will be amazed at the collection and will recognize Lindbergh’s impressive planning insight.  Because most people pack for travel at some point, visitors of all backgrounds will connect to the challenges of what to take on such lengthy trips.  From malted milk tablets (the granola bars of the day), to an almost 11 ft. long wooden sled, snowshoes and ice crampons (in case of emergency landing on Greenland’s ice cap) to a rubber boat with mast and sail (in case of emergency landing at sea), the plane was carefully packed with items to anticipate every possible emergency scenario.  More amusing objects include insect repellent and cans of food rations like beef tongue.

Tingmissartoq

The Lockheed Model 8 Sirius "Tingmissartoq" on display in the Pioneers of Flight gallery at the National Mall building.

Each time I work on an exhibition, I become intrigued with several specific artifacts.  With this gallery, one is the armbrust cup.  This strange object worn over the face, converts condensation from breath into drinking water – for use in emergency landings at sea.  Since weight restrictions were an ever-present challenge, the Lindberghs could take only a limited supply of water. Lindbergh had read about this new invention before his solo flight across the Atlantic and took one along.  He also took them along on the trips in the Sirius.  There is no record that he or Anne used them, thanks to smooth flights, but perhaps they helped provide peace of mind.  Obviously he considered them worth their added weight.

One question we had was the correct name of the artifact.  We encountered several spellings and were not sure which was correct.  In Anne’s books, it is listed as an “armburst” cup.  Finally, our curator did some excellent sleuthing and found the original patent, given to Charles W. Armbrust.  Who out there has heard of an Armbrust cup? Have you read Anne Lindbergh’s books listed above?  What did you think?  Let us know.

Armbrust Cup

The Armbrust Cup, worn over the face, converts condensation from breath into drinking water – for use in emergency landings at sea. Charles and Anne Lindbergh carried them on their exploratory trips across several continents in 1931 and 1933.

Tim Grove is Acting Chief of Education at the National Air and Space Museum, National Mall Building.

Selecting the Astroland Star

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A Smithsonian Institution curator whom I greatly admire once said that collecting objects for a museum is a bit like standing next to a river with a bucket.  The curator’s task is to gather examples that explain what is important about something (in this analogy, a river), but the curator can only take what fits in the bucket.  How do you capture the essence of something large and complex with a sample that is small enough to be preserved and displayed?

This was the task I faced when I received an e-mail from Carol Albert, the co-owner of the Astroland amusement park, a space-themed park founded in Coney Island in 1962 at the height of U.S. excitement about the first American human spaceflights.  Because the park was closing, Albert wanted to preserve Astroland’s history.  Her initial offer, however, to donate the park’s original 74-foot-long rocket ride proved to be entirely too large.  So, in January 2009, I made a trip to Coney Island with Carol, scouting for a (more-bucket-sized) example.

The Astro tower, an observation ride and a notable part of Astroland’s skyline, was far too large.  I took photographs of its signs but kept looking.  The lighted top of a ticketbooth with handpainted signs captured the efforts of the many people who made Astroland work but I wondered about how the Museum would display a four-sided piece.  The lighted sign at the Surf Avenue entrance offered real possibilities.  But the entire sign stretched over 40-feet wide.  What about one part, perhaps one of the spinning lighted stars?

One of the Astroland entranceway stars was the solution. The web address added to the bottom of the 1960s-era star illustrated Astroland in both the 1960s and the 2000s.  This “small” piece, an 8-foot by 7-and-a-half-foot lighted star, illustrates the space theme.  And, at the same time, the star presents a sample of Astroland’s bright lights and excitement.  The thousands of people who had passed under the sign to take part in the park’s rides and games would recognize it.

So, in one 8-foot-high segment of a lighted sign, have I captured the essence of Astroland?  (Do I have a river in my bucket?)  Yes and no.  No single piece can capture fully the many stories that make up Astroland’s importance.  But the Astroland star symbolizes the space craze of the early 1960s and represents an important part of the history of Coney Island amusement parks.

It arrives at the Smithsonian this Thursday.

Margaret Weitekamp is a curator in the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum.

Are You a Star Trek-ophile?

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Original model of starship Enterprise used in the filming of the Star Trek TV show (1966-69). Now on display in the Museum Store at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Original model of starship "Enterprise" used in the filming of the Star Trek TV show (1966-69). The model is on display in the Museum Store at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

It is always fun when a new Star Trek feature film comes out. I am old enough (barely) to remember the original series and how exciting it seemed at the time, as well as how corny it so often looks today. I waited with excitement for every one of the Star Trek films to appear with the original crew. Unfortunately, I was disappointed about every other time a new film appeared. One might say I am a Trekker, although not one as enthusiastic as many others I know. I certainly don’t own a Star Fleet uniform and I have never tried to learn Klingon.

So with the release of the new Star Trek “prequel” this summer, I was excited to see a reimagining of the original series and how the crew of the Star Ship Enterprise first met. I didn’t go to an opening day screening, but one of my friends who did, said that the film “didn’t suck.” What a relief! Good enough for me; I watched it over the Memorial Day weekend and was not disappointed.

It looks like the Star Trek franchise has the potential for another arc of some half dozen or so movies based on the early career of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhuru, and Scotty. What do others think about the film and possibilities for the future of the Star Trek Franchise? Also, since this is a National Air and Space Museum blog, what do you think about the possibility of real space travel in the future? Will my successors at the museum be collecting key artifacts from spacecraft like the Enterprise a millennium from now?

Roger Launius is a curator in the Space History Division of the National Air and Space Museum.