When we think about the marvels of space exploration, we often focus on astronauts, rockets, and the incredible achievements of science. However, an essential part of preserving these achievements lies in how we store and protect the artifacts of space exploration. Museum cabinets, specifically designed for such artifacts, play a critical role in ensuring these treasures remain intact for future generations.
From space suits to astronaut helmets, these items require innovative storage solutions tailored to their unique preservation needs.
This blog explores how custom museum cabinets, developed by Spacesaver and designed by Bradford Systems, helped the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum solve their space-saving challenges while safeguarding their priceless collection of space exploration artifacts.
The Challenge: Maximizing Space
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum houses one of the world’s largest collections of space exploration artifacts. Each item, from Apollo space suits to helmets, is a piece of history requiring meticulous care. The museum faced a challenge: optimizing storage space while preserving artifacts. With limited vertical space above their cabinets, they needed a solution to maximize every inch. This had to be done without sacrificing accessibility or artifact integrity.
They turned to Spacesaver Interiors, a leader in storage solutions, to design a tailored system.
Innovative Storage Solutions for Museum Cabinets
When it comes to storing delicate and historically significant artifacts, standard storage solutions won’t suffice. This is where custom museum cabinets shine. The National Air and Space Museum partnered with Bradford Systems to design a series of engineered-to-order (ETO) cabinets that perfectly fit their requirements.
The Engineered-to-Order Mini Cabinets
Using Spacesaver, Bradford Systems’ designers and engineers collaborated with the museum to create a two-tiered storage system. The new design fits above the existing 84-inch 920 Series Preservation Cabinets. It uses 35 inches of vertical space while remaining compatible with overhead lighting.
Key features of these custom museum cabinets include:
- Optimized Dimensions: The 30-inch-high mini cabinets maximize space without interfering with the lighting system.
- Ventilation Features: Built-in vents ensure proper air circulation, preventing moisture buildup and preserving delicate materials.
- Artifact-Specific Design: Each cabinet is tailored for astronauts’ helmets, keeping them directly above matching space suits for easy organization.
Why Museum Cabinets Matter for Artifact Preservation
The importance of museum cabinets extends far beyond storage. They are an essential component of artifact preservation. In the case of the National Air and Space Museum, custom cabinets not only optimized space but also provided a safe and controlled environment for fragile and historically significant items.
Spacesaver’s museum cabinets are designed to:
- Protect Artifacts: By creating a stable and secure environment, these cabinets help prevent damage from environmental factors like humidity and light.
- Enhance Organization: Custom designs allow curators to organize artifacts more effectively, making them easier to access and display.
- Maximize Space: Engineered-to-order cabinets ensure that every inch of available space is used efficiently, even in challenging environments.
The Role of Museum Cabinets in Space Exploration
Space exploration has always been about pushing boundaries and innovating beyond the limits of what’s possible. Similarly, the design for storing space exploration artifacts mirrors this spirit of innovation.
The National Air and Space Museum’s collaboration with Bradford Systems highlights how tailored solutions can address unique challenges. By creating custom designs for the museum, Spacesaver ensured that the legacy of space exploration could be preserved in a way that aligns with the highest standards of care.
Beyond Space: The Broader Applications of Museum Cabinets
While the National Air and Space Museum’s project focused on preserving space suits and helmets, the potential applications of custom museum cabinets extend to various industries.
Applications Across Sectors
- Libraries and Archives: Custom cabinets can store rare books, manuscripts, and historical documents, protecting them from environmental damage.
- Healthcare: Hospitals and research institutions can use custom storage systems to house delicate medical equipment and supplies securely.
- Military and Defense: Gear lockers and high-density storage systems help maximize space while ensuring the protection of critical equipment.
These versatile solutions demonstrate the transformative power of well-designed museum cabinets.
What to Look for in Museum Cabinet Storage
Our experience team of designers help museums evaluate each system based on the collection, facility and long-term preservation goals.
Environmental Controls
Temperature and humidity can take a toll on delicate artifacts, so the right storage conditions matter. Depending on your collection, cabinets may include moisture-resistant materials, sealed compartments or features that help create controlled microclimates.
Monitoring systems can track temperature and humidity over time, too. When connected to alarms or facility management systems, they can alert your team when conditions fall outside the preferred range, giving you time to act before damage occurs.
Materials, Seals and Construction
The materials used in museum cabinets should protect your collection without releasing harmful chemicals. Bradford Systems can work with organizations on solutions, such as non-off-gassing coatings, archival-quality finishes, and dependable gaskets. This can help keep out dust and pollutants while reducing environmental changes.
Modular casework offers more flexibility and can be easier to rearrange as your collection grows. Expert design teams with practical experience can help you compare the options based on artifact size, weight and preservation needs.
Security, Access and Workflow
Museum storage needs to keep collections secure without making everyday access a hassle. Keyed or electronic locks, controlled entry and access logs can help your team manage who enters storage areas and when cabinets are opened.
The way staff works around the space matters, too. Pull-out shelves, trays, and drawers make artifacts easier and safer to retrieve. Nearby staging areas also give staff a dedicated place to inspect, photograph, catalog or prepare objects without moving them farther than necessary.
Space Optimization and Layout
Simply adding more cabinets does not always make a storage area more efficient. It’s important to compare each system’s footprint with its usable capacity while considering aisles, doors, columns, equipment, and room for staff to move around.
Stationary cabinets offer easy, direct access, but they require permanent aisle space. High-density mobile storage places cabinets on movable carriages, reducing the number of fixed aisles and fitting more storage into the same footprint. That extra capacity can make room for future collection growth or free valuable space for exhibits, research and other museum activities.
Digitization and Records Integration
A thoughtful digitization process makes physical collections much easier to track. Artifacts can be scanned or photographed, connected to digital records and organized by details such as collection, location, condition, and accession number.
Digital indexing also lets staff find objects without repeatedly opening cabinets or handling artifacts. Bradford Systems can bring digitization and physical storage planning together, helping museums organize records, identify duplicates and reduce the space taken up by paper files and administrative materials.
Artifact Preservation
Preventive conservation starts with reducing exposure to light, moisture, dust, pests, pollutants, and unnecessary handling.
Preservation is not a one-and-done task. Museums should regularly review environmental data, inspect seals and locks, clean cabinet interiors, look for signs of pests and check artifact conditions. Bradford Systems can work monitoring and maintenance into the overall storage plan to support the long-term care of your collection.
Preserving History, One Cabinet at a Time
The collaboration between the National Air and Space Museum and Bradford Systems highlights the importance of preserving history. By optimizing space and protecting artifacts, these cabinets help tell the stories of space exploration for future generations.
Whether you’re a curator, healthcare professional, or archivist, custom storage solutions can transform how you protect and organize assets. To learn more about how we can benefit your organization, contact us today. Together, we’ll take storage to new heights.
