BP-1101 “Boilerplate” Capsule | Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

Many of us remember the excitement of the Apollo missions that landed a dozen Americans on the Moon more than 50 years ago. The Apollo Command Module was the only part of the massive, skyscraper-sized Saturn V rocket that returned to Earth at the end of each flight. You can recognize an enlarged version of the Command Module’s cone shape in today’s Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft and the Boeing Starliner.

This artifact looks very much like an actual Apollo Command Module, but it never carried astronauts into space. It is a boilerplate—a simplified metal model created to test specific aspects of the real spacecraft, such as water landings, launch abort escape rockets, or recovery systems. It duplicates the size, weight, shape, and center of gravity of the actual vehicle.

This particular boilerplate is BP-1101A. NASA used it for flotation tests in the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1965. After some modifications, NASA used it again for additional ocean testing in 1966 and 1967. In most photos of Apollo spacecraft floating in the ocean you can see large round balloons near the top. They pull the spacecraft right-side-up if it capsizes, and they were tested on this very boilerplate.

On loan from the National Air and Space Museum.

Capsule specifications:
Diameter: 12 ft 10 in (3.9 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.7 m)
Weight: Varied, approximately 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg)

Lowry - Denver

Air & Space Museum

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Thursday	10am-5pm
Friday	10am-5pm
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Sunday	12pm-5pm

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Sunday Aug 23

10:00AM TO 11:30AM

Air & Space Museum

Sensory Friendly Hours

Sunday, Aug 23, 2026 | 10:00AM to 11:30AM

We are pleased to offer a more comfortable museum experience for our friends who have sensory processing sensitivities and their families. We welcome families with children, teenagers and adults with processing disorders and other cognitive disabilities, including anyone on the autism spectrum, to experience our museum in a lower sensory environment.

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Saturday Sep 12

9:30AM TO 12:30PM

Exploration of Flight (Centennial Airport)

Breakfast Fly-In

Saturday, Sep 12, 2026 | 9:30AM to 12:30PM

Check out Corvettes and start your Saturday with tasty food, aircraft, and unique cars at our monthly Breakfast Fly-In!*

Start your engines at this family-friendly event where we feature special activities in addition to our usual events, including:

Explore local vintage vehicles courtesy of the Central Colorado Corvette Club
Chat with the drivers and hear their stories
Take a seat in both cars and airplanes
Watch aircraft fly in and out on our tarmac and meet the pilots

See you soon for this family-friendly event!

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Pilots – Fly in for free breakfast! For tie-down space, contact PublicPrograms@WingsMuseum.org or 303.360.5360 ext. 160.

Food Trucks: Cooper’s Coffee & Wafflerita

*Weather permitting. Aircraft and activities are subject to change. Food is not included with admission.

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Saturday Sep 19

10:00AM TO 2:00PM

Air & Space Museum

Cockpit Demo Day

Saturday, Sep 19, 2026 | 10:00AM to 2:00PM

Have you ever wanted to get an up-close look inside your favorite aircraft?

At this event, you’ll be able to explore select cockpits and learn about aircraft you never knew existed. Each station has a knowledgeable volunteer who can tell you all about the exhibit, its history, and answer questions. Our options rotate monthly, so every visit is unique!

Featured aircraft in September*:

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Can’t make this one? Join us next month on October 17!

*Featured aircraft are subject to change.

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