File:EL-1996-00001 (5554017984).jpg

Description: During a nighttime training session, a multiple exposure captures the movement of the Lunar Excursion Module Simulator (LEMS). The LEMS was a manned rocket-powered vehicle used to familiarize the Apollo astronauts with the handling characteristics of a lunar-landing type vehicle. The Apollo program is best known for astronaut Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon July 20, 1969. In its earlier test period, the LEMS featured a helicopter crew cabin atop the lunar landing module. Later, the helicopter crew cabin was replaced with a stand-up rectangular cabin which was more efficient for controlling maneuvers and for better viewing by the pilot. The vehicle was designed and fabricated at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Langley also constructed the Lunar Landing Research Facility, a unique and imposing erector-set structure which provided the capability to perform simulated lunar landings with the LEMS. The LEMS, designated a national historic landmark in 1986, will be displayed in the new Virginia Air and Space Center/Hampton Roads History Center, scheduled to open Spring 1992.