Draper Museum Reopens with New Exhibit on Space Exploration and 50 Years of Innovation March 1

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—On Friday, March 1, the Draper Museum is reopening with a new exhibit which will address key milestones in space exploration and fifty years of innovation including: the Apollo Program, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon.

The newly expanded Draper Museum will feature a spectacular array of artifacts from Draper’s history of innovation, some of which will be on public display for the very first time. Visitors will come face-to-face with historical items that date back to the beginning of the Space Age and trace the dynamic history of innovation at Draper.

Visitors can take a free self-guided tour to learn about space exploration, the next Moon landing and Draper’s pioneering contributions to America’s space program. New and expanded artifacts and displays include:

Apollo Guidance Computer’s Memory Tray. The Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) was the first computer that used silicon integrated circuits, a major advance over computers of the day. On display at the Draper Museum is a computer component called a memory tray, where the computer’s instructions are stored. The total computer memory for the Apollo Guidance Computer was less than a millionth as much memory as you’d find in a low-end consumer PC today, but it was pretty impressive for its time.

DSKY. NASA astronauts landed on the moon using the Apollo Guidance Computer and an early computer keyboard just like the one on display at the Draper Museum. Astronauts communicated with the AGC using a numeric display and keyboard called the DSKY (for “display/keyboard,” pronounced “DIS-kee”). Astronauts would punch in commands for actions such as ‘Fire Rocket,’ ‘Display Time,’ or ‘Align Platform.’ Experts say DSKY and the AGC are responsible for much of the success of the Apollo missions.

Space Exploration Timeline. Relive 50 years of innovation in space technology when the Draper Museum unveils a new  Space Exploration Timeline. Travel through time to learn about inventions that contributed to decades of human-rated space missions and habitation—including Apollo, Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and Artemis. Visit the future as humankind sets its sights on its next destination beyond the moon: Mars.

Planet Mars. Draper CEO and President Dr. Jerry M. Wohletz recently unveiled and illuminated a giant planet Mars in the company’s atrium. Visible from the street and the Draper Museum, the Red Planet uses high-resolution NASA imagery to show every valley, crater, volcano and mountain. Nearby in Draper’s atrium hangs a moon by the same artist, Luke Jerram, a nod to Draper’s role on the Apollo program.

Draper is located at 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, Mass. Doors open to the public for the Draper Museum on Fridays starting at noon to 4:30 p.m. March 1.