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The sign accompanying the Lunar Orbiter engineering model. It reads

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Mapping the Moon

Hanging overhead is a full-scale engineering model of the Lunar Orbiter. In 1966 and 1967, five of these automatic probes flew to the Moon to map potential Apollo landing sites. The orbiters could pick out much greater detail than could be seen through Earth-based telescopes, and were instrumental in finding landing sites that were flat and relatively crater-free.

The NASA Langley Research Center managed the Lunar Orbiter program as part of NASA's coordinated strategy for lunar reconnaissance in preparing for Apollo. Other programs included Ranger (a camera-equipped crash lander) and Surveyor (a soft lander).

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