Bob-

Great question which I hope also gets asked at NARCON so you can hear the response from Amy Heidrick who is the Director of Collections at MOF. This represents my best guess based on watching the MOF for a couple of decades.

The Museum has final authority over the National Collection, but NAR does have a voice which is heard on a steering commitee consisting of representatives of both organizations.

Here's the steps that will likely take place before any restoration work takes place on any part of the collection.


1. Finalize cataloging of Stine, Estes, and Piester collections. This will be a multi year effort and is the emphasis of the "Pay Forward" fund raising campaign by NAR.

This step includes stabilization and archival storage of artifacts. The "maxi Aerobee" will soon get an upgrade in that regard.

2. Develop an exhibit plan for updating NAR's "Inspiring Rockets" exhibit (MOF Exhibit Dept and NAR committee task). The exhibit plan will determine items are scheduled for Step 3 work.

3. Perform expert restoration work for relevant artifacts scheduled for upcoming exhibit in accordance with Smithsonian Best Practices. (This isn't obvious until you think about it. Museums including NASM don't fully restore items that aren't going on exhibit. They also don't make repairs to historic artifacts that sustained damage in service. Therefore the inflight damage to Bob Biedron's Ariane during the WSMC remains unrepaired)

It's tough to give a timescale on this sequence of tasks. There are lots of variables as you can imagine, not all of which are in NAR control.

Pat

Steve-

There is no structural evidence at all that this model was ever intended to fly. As somebody else pointed out no model rocket engines in existence at that time were up to the task of lifting it, short of an "Honest Ivan" type effort. This model is a good bit bigger and heavier than "Ivan" so even that would likely not have worked.

As well here was a note with the model stating that it was "unflown" (likely by design).

Pat

That model probably looked enormous to modelers back in the day. Today we think nothing of flying models that large!

Even a Coaster "G" motor -- the largest thing available in that time frame, but really a few years later -- would have a hard time budging that Aerobee!

I'm thinking that giant Aerobee should be flown at least once.

We'll schedule the Aerobee flight the same day NASM fires up the Wright Flyer.

In the comics today was a great encapsulation of what the MoF/NAR effort is really about:

http://www.gocomics.com/redandrover/2018/02/04

On today's CBS Sunday Morning, there was brief archival footage of the Boy Scout Jamboree of 1969 which was held during Apollo 11's flight, and showed a couple of Estes Saturn IBs and Big Berthas being checked in for launch next to what looks like a 1/10 scale model Saturn V (maybe the same one that stayed crated all during NARAM 13).

Pat, we need to get together some time and talk about this - I have some items from the 1960s and early 1970's that might go well in the MoF collection, and better that then sitting in my closet.
Back then, I lived in Pueblo, ~30 miles from the Estes plant in Penrose. After we formed a Pueblo rocket club, we become 'known' at Estes and they worked with us. I have an early 1960's BT40 plastic spin fin can and rubber nose cone that I was gifted by someone at Estes back then. Also, around 1972 Boy's Life did an article on model rocketry featuring our club (long story, including getting my car stuck in the mud :mad: ) - I have a few copies of that issue of Boy's Life.
At one time I had a lot more, but much of it has been sold off on ebay over the years. :eek:

I believe I have found it. Click this link and choose page 38 in the table of contents.

October 1972 Boy's Life Magazine



.

Thanks tbzep, that's the one. You can sort of see my young, smiling face behind the Mars Lander as I'm hooking up the igniter ;) .