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DC-Based For Decades, Apollo 11 Capsule To Go On Road Trip

CHANTILLY, Va. (KDKA/AP) - The Apollo 11 command module, which traveled more than 950,000 miles to take Americans to the moon and back in 1969, is going on a road trip, leaving the Smithsonian for the first time in more than four decades.

The capsule, named "Columbia," went on a tour of U.S. capitals following its historic role in the mission to the moon.

But since then it has made its home at the Smithsonian in Washington.

On Wednesday, officials announced a four-city road tour ahead of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 2019.

The capsule will visit museums in Houston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Seattle as part of a new exhibit: "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission."

The Heinz History Center will serve as the northeast host for the national tour. The capsule will be here from Sept. 29, 2018 through Feb. 18, 2019.

For more information, visit the Heinz History Center's website at this link.

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(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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