Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia

Columbia is on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC, as part of the Destination Moon gallery. It was transferred by NASA to the Smithsonian in 1971 after a post-mission tour of US cities and overseas capitals. Its hatch is displayed separately.

Command Module Pilot Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard Columbia while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended in the Lunar Module Eagle to the surface on July 20, 1969. Collins orbited the Moon alone for roughly 21 hours, losing contact with Mission Control when behind the Moon.

The ablative heat shield endured temperatures of roughly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry into Earth's atmosphere on July 24, 1969. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii, where the USS Hornet recovered the crew. The charred shield remains visible on the displayed capsule.

The conical capsule was built by North American Rockwell with an aluminum honeycomb cabin and a brazed stainless-steel heat shield covered with ablative material. It was roughly 10 feet tall and 12.5 feet wide at the base. Only the command module returned; the service module was jettisoned before reentry.