Apollo 16 spacecraft gears up for 50th anniversary of flight

Video from the channel AP Archive about Apollo 16, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 5:14. Language: English. Video type: News.

A museum thoroughly cleans the Apollo 16 capsule so it is in good condition for the mission's 50th anniversary; it flew to the Moon in 1972. The report shows the team removing dust from the spacecraft and from the display case that protects it. A conservator teaches staff the technique: keep the vacuum close to the work area and lift the dust with the brush.

The conservator explains that the cleaning is not just cosmetic, but part of preserving any museum object, whether a spacecraft or a spacesuit. The dust contains silica, skin cells or pollen, materials that can cause problems over time if they build up. The display case is not hermetically sealed so air can circulate, so insects, lint and sometimes objects left by visitors get in.

Those interviewed argue the capsule should be preserved so it can still be viewed millennia from now, since it represents one of the space program's greatest achievements. One of them says working with these pieces comes from a passion for astronauts and the space shuttle that they've had since childhood.