Command Module "Columbia" Command Module "Columbia" Back Next page Curator's Choice Online

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Command Module Control Panel 2

The crew compartment itself was crowded but efficiently designed.

Columbia is certainly among the most historic artifacts in the National Collection. It has been selected as a Milestone of Flight and has been provided the most sophisticated protective case of any of our objects. To keep dust from accumulating on the spacecraft surfaces, a small tube has been introduced into the enclosure that continually feeds in dehumidified, filtered air that maintains a slight positive pressure within the enclosure and prevents the entry of ambient dust and pollution.

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1 Interior of Command Module "Columbia". Smithsonian Institution photo by Eric Long. All rights reserved. 111k jpg
2 Command Module Control Panel diagram. 106k jpg or large 233k jpg NASA History Office.