Behind the Glass: Preserving Rocket History

From Mercury to Artemis, highly innovative spacecraft have been designed to withstand millions of pounds of thrust and the harsh conditions of space— but how do they stand the test of time?

Although American spaceflight spans decades, our recovered artifacts are considered fairly new in the world of artifacts. Despite being made of high-tech materials, preserving these objects can be tricky when creating the engaging exhibits you see at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Madeline Calise, artifacts manager and registrar at the visitor complex, says that designing a dynamic exhibit for everyone to enjoy requires balancing that up close and visual experience while still carefully restoring and preserving history.

“Unlike oil paintings, which we’ve been preserving in museums for a very long time, and we know what happens long term, we don’t know as much about some of these (space) materials and what happens long term,” Madeline says. “We’re really learning, and that’s where sharing with colleagues comes in— trying to be innovative about preservation or at least keep our minds open about what these materials might need over time.”

When preparing objects for display, many external factors can damage them. To protect them, our exhibits team designs specific maintenance plans for each piece of history. For instance, the rockets in the Rocket Garden can handle the Florida sun and humidity, but more sensitive items, such as spacesuits, stay in a dry and enclosed space.

Upon entering the exhibit buildings, you can see awe-inspiring views of authentic space-flown or space-ready vehicles, such as Space Shuttle Atlantis tethered from the ceiling at an intentional 43.21-degree angle or the elevated view of the 363-foot Saturn V. These feats of engineering are designed to support these iron giants and withstand external effects like the rumbling and vibrations of current-day launches from only a few miles away.

“When launches get more intense, we have to consider that,” Madeline says. “You’re sort of weighing perfect idealized preservation against access, and we want guests to be able to see these things while interacting with the center. You know, it’s an active spaceport so (we’re) mitigating risk, which is the whole point.”

The visitor complex is unique in that it brings history while residing on a buzzing modern-day space center. Only here can you get the unique perspective of the inspiring timeline of space exploration over the years.