Computer Museum of America is a hidden gem in Roswell

A model of the lunar lander
Space Exhibit featuring an 87% scale model of the lunar lander. (Courtesy of Computer Museum of America)

The Computer Museum of America in Roswell, Georgia, boasts one of the world’s largest collections of artifacts from the history of computing, and an entire permanent exhibit devoted to the Apollo 11 moon landing — a milestone that wouldn’t have been possible without the power of computers.

A visit to the museum might make for a nice double feature, if you’re going out to see the new Scarlett Johansson movie “Fly Me to the Moon,” where a NASA publicist oversees a staged moon landing… in case the real one doesn’t pan out! Perhaps the Computer Museum’s real-life original guidance computer module from the mission might convince you it really happened!

Rena Youngblood, Computer Museum of America’s Executive Director, recently joined Lois Reitzes on “City Lights” to discuss the museum and its collection. According to Youngblood, the museum is “broken up into a few segments over 35,000 square feet,” with a multitude of exhibitions spanning the halls.

“We have a timeline that spans about 1,100 square feet. It’s absolutely stunning. We wanted to show originally products and people that really propelled technology forward,” she shared. They have microcomputers, supercomputers, mini computers, and even a scaled model of the lunar lander!

More information on the Computer Museum of America can be found at their website, https://www.computermuseumofamerica.org/.