His 301

Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

Courtney Madison
Due 10/14/15
His 301-04
Historic Monument Columbus Memorial Space Center

I was completely unaware of the Columbia Memorial Space Centers existence until I
looked up what museums and historical sites were open during earlier days of the week as most
sites are only open between Thursday-Sunday. Looking through the website, I was excited and
hopeful at the prospect of viewing the site when I saw a specific historical section giving specific
categories and tidbits of information that would be explored at the museum. I had never heard of
the existence from anyone, and so did not know what to expect overall. This site stands as not
only a memorial to the Columbus mission that did not make it upon its return to earth, but also as
the historical site representing the multi-block area surrounding it that once housed the Rockwell
North American Aviation company which lead the manufacturing of a majority of the Apollo
aircrafts among several other space and other aerospace crafts.
The activity I would do with the students prior to attending the site would be to build
their understanding of the sequence of local historical events. They would know that the area
around their homes, schools, and neighborhood did not always look the way that they do now. I
would show pictures of more immediate areas such as the schools, local parks, and shopping
centers from 50, 30, and 10 years ago without telling them what it is, but rather having them
make inferences on where the images are located up until reaching a present day image. This
would lead into showing images of the site from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s before
showing how it has changed to now as the area was built at its height for aerospace development

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Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

by 1961 and mostly dismantled by 1998.1 I would also show them that although the program is
not as large as it once was, it is still running under Boeing.
This would also be a great introduction to the overall history of not only space travel, but
aviation. The Downey plant was responsible for the manufacturing of two aircrafts flown by
Amelia Earhart in 1933.2 The students should know how important the development of the
aviation and aerospace program in Downey was to the overall development over time. In 1961
President Kennedy declared that he wanted a man on the moon and back home within the
decade, and the work already being done in Downey not only made is possible, but successful.
On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 built by the North American Rockwell Corporation successfully
landed on the moon, and brought the crew home before the year was out.3 The students will
understand that without the Downey aerospace programs, the United States may not have made it
to the moon.
The Columbia Memorial Space Center would be a particularly great place to take a third grade
class as it not only touches on local history within the third grade curriculum, but also blends
relevant science curriculum. As previously stated, History California State Standard 3.3 would be
an excellent lead up to taking the students to the site, and would therefore give the students a
visual representation of how the area had changed from the pictures they had seen in class. It also

1 Gerald A. Blackburn, Downeys Aerospace History: 1947-1999 (Charleston: Arcadia

Publishing, 2009) P. 7-8.
2 Gerald A. Blackburn, Downeys Aerospace History: 1947-1999 adapted
excerptshttp://columbiaspacescience.org/education/downeys-aerospacehistory/downey-the-early-years/ ( Downey: Columbia Memorial Space Center 20092015)
3 Gerald A. Blackburn, Downeys Aerospace History: 1947-1999 adapted
http://columbiaspacescience.org/education/downeys-aerospace-history/downey-andthe-space-race/ ( Downey: Columbia Memorial Space Center 2009-2015)

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Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

would serve as a starting point in introducing science as not just a subject in school, but a career
path in life. It would exemplify more than just astronauts, but engineers, technicians, mechanics,
physicists, programmers, and many other occupations that require heavy science backgrounds
resulting in a new generation of children poised to become our next innovators and great minds.
Many cities have historical sites that give an understanding of what the area was like when first
settled or in progress of growing culturally, but very few show the economic development due to
innovation and discovery. This particular site is unique to not only California, but the United
States as it is one of only a handful of sites dedicated to aerospace development during the Space
Race and other great space exploration movements.
Before entering the building, there were large sculptures accurately representing the
appearance of each planet. I would have the students identify each planet and explain to me what
clues they have to let them know that they are close if not correct. There was also a TV monitor
in the entrance that played a video of the past, present, and future aspects of the aerospace
program that would be a great precursor to the tour.
1) Students will recall 5 facts they remember from the tour by writing out each fact in their
journals.
Students would implement linguistic intelligence and demonstrate their knowledge.
2) Students will break into groups and create a skit depicting what might happen in a control
room or space craft based upon the simulators seen at the site.
Students would implement bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and demonstrate synthesizing.
3) Given pictures of the same area from different times in history, students will make inferences
regarding where the place is and what is being established in that place by discussing what they
see in the pictures
Students would implement spatial intelligence and demonstrate comprehension.
4) Students will be broken up into groups and given a few different types of model space crafts.
Students will work together to determine what decade they believe the aircraft came from and
chart them on a line graph.
Students would implement interpersonal intelligence and demonstrate application.

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Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

5) Students will watch short clips of astronauts on their space crafts through history in which the
astronauts are listening to music. Students will guess what decade the astronauts may be in based
upon the music they are listening to.
Students would implement musical intelligence and demonstrate analyzation.
6) Students will write a journal each day of the week leading up to the trip in which they write in
the perspective of an astronaut from a decade given by the teacher while they are in space,
leaving their families, or preparing to become astronauts.
Students would implement intrapersonal intelligence and demonstrate synthesizing.
7) Students will learn about the space race, who was involved, and the purpose of the race. Given
this information, students will discuss and argue whether they believe it was a good idea to enter
this race with supporting evidence for either side.
Students would implement intrapersonal intelligence and demonstrate evaluation.
8) Students will be told the distance between the moon and earth and how long it took Apollo 11
to get there. Students will be given the distances of all 8 planets and will determine how long it
would take to get to each planet.
Students would implement logical/mathematical intelligence and demonstrate
application.
9) Students will be told a story that tells of the progression of the space program. After reading
the story to them, the students will be given pieces of the story and will have to put the pieces
together in order in which they happened in the story.
Students would implement interpersonal and logical intelligence and demonstrate
comprehension.
10) Students will be broken up into groups and given 6 images of the same place throughout
time. Students will work together to put the images in the correct chronological order.
Students would implement logical and interpersonal intelligences and demonstrate
analyzation and synthesizing.

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Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

Primary Sources Columbia Memorial Space Center

Downeys entry into the then young aviation industry came in 1929 when E.M. Smith, a wealthy
industrialist, organized the EMSCO Aircraft Corporation at the Downey site to manufacture a
complete line of land and water aircraft.
On purchased farm land (at that time largely supporting orange groves and crops of castor beans)
EMSCO built a modern 60,000 square foot manufacturing facility with an adjoining private
airport.
A 1929 EMSCO brochure described the four models of the EMSCO line of aircraft:
EMSCO Challenger, a super-powered, eight place, cabin monoplane using three 170
horsepower Curtiss Challenger motors.
EMSCO B-3, an eight-place cabin monoplane powered with a single Pratt & Whitney Wasp or
a Wright Whirlwind J-6 motor of 300 horsepower.
EMSCO Cirrus, a two-place mid-wing monoplane for sport and training, powered with a 90
horsepower, four-cylinder in line, air-cooled American Cirrus motor.
EMSCO Amphibian, a bi-motored cabin with accommodations for five passengers and a pilot.

Walter Kinner in 1933 with the folding wing aircraft he patented

However, with business growth retarded significantly by the economic conditions of the
Depression, in 1931 EMSCO leased the Downey plant to Champion Aircraft Corporation of
America. Unfortunately economic conditions being no kinder to Champion, within seven months
they packed up and left the site, as well.
In 1933, Walter Kinner, who had designed and manufactured two airplanes for Amelia Earhart,
brought his Security National Aircraft Corporation to Downey. Kinners ambition was to develop
a small, reasonably priced plane that could be mass marketed. His patented design was the
folding wing, an aircraft with side-by-side seating and wings that folded up so that the plane
could fit into a large garage. However only three of the original folding-wing aircraft were ever
built, and their manufacture at the Downey plant ceased within the year.
http://columbiaspacescience.org/education/downeys-aerospace-history/downey-the-early-years/

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Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

In 1961, in an attempt to rally enthusiasm for space exploration as a national priority, President
John F. Kennedy issued a proclamation calling for a new effort aimed at placing a man on the
moon and returning him before the decade is out.
To accomplish this goal, NASA put out a two bids for space program contracts. The first was for
the Saturn S-11, the second stage of the Saturn V Launch Vehicle designed to send multi-ton
payloads into space. The second was for the Project Apollo Spacecraft Development Program,
comprising the command module and service module. North American won both awards, and in
so doing, made Downey the industrial center for Americas lunar space program.
To support the Apollo program, NASA established the Resident Apollo Spacecraft Office
(RASPO) at the Downey plant. During the peak of the Apollo program, the number of resident
government and support contract personnel (including astronauts) was over 300.
Employment at the Downey site grew rapidly, as well. At its peak in the mid 1960s, the NASA
Industrial Plant, Downey (as it was officially renamed in 1964) supported more than 35,000
workers.
Apollo 11 Space Capsule returns to Downey after its flight to the Moon in 1969
Along with the growth of the work force came an addition of millions of square feet of offices,
factories, work spaces and test facilities. Facilities at the Downey plant included the largest clean
room in the world, a Mission Control Room identical to the one in Houston, the Apollo Impact
Test Facility (the land and pool drop tower area used to test the integrity of the Apollo capsule),
and a Rotational Test Facility (also known as the vomit comet).
In 1967 North American merged with Rockwell Standard Corporation, to become North
American Rockwell Corporation.
In their contributions to the design, production, and testing of the Apollo command service
modules, the men and women who worked at the Downey NASA plant were part of one of the
most successful programs of the U.S. space program. The Downey plant built 17 of these
modules, six of which were used in unmanned test flights and the other eleven manned. President
Kennedys challenge to place a human being on the moon by the end of the decade became a
reality when the lunar module crew of Apollo 11, carrying astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and
Collins, landed on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.
http://columbiaspacescience.org/education/downeys-aerospace-history/downey-and-the-spacerace/
The included historical recount on these pages were adapted as excerpts from Downeys Aerospace

History: 1947-1999 (Images of Aviation) by Gerald A. Blackburn, along with theAerospace Legacy
Foundation, by author grant. Blackburn was a former engineer with North American Aviation and Boeing.
He spent 25 years at the Downey plant

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Historic Monument Columbia Memorial Space Center Courtney Madison

1920

1964