Small Oregon Museum Honors NASA Pioneer as Artemis II Launches

Artifacts at the JPL Museum in Stayton offer a close-up look at space history as astronauts head back to the moon.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 12:21am by Ben Kaplan

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Tucked inside a bed-and-breakfast in Stayton, Oregon, the JPL Museum is preserving the legacy of Joseph Loftus Jr., a NASA engineer who played a key role in early spaceflight. As the Artemis II mission launches to orbit the moon, the museum's collection of artifacts and memorabilia takes on new significance, offering a personal connection to the history of space exploration.

Why it matters

The JPL Museum's collection provides a rare, up-close look at the people and technologies that enabled the early days of the space program, including innovations that extended the duration of lunar missions. As NASA returns to the moon with Artemis, the museum's focus on preserving this history helps inspire the next generation of space explorers.

The details

The JPL Museum was founded in 2015 and named after Joseph Loftus Jr., who spent over four decades working at NASA. Loftus played a key role in designing the crew accommodations and life support systems for early spacecraft, including modifications that allowed astronauts to spend more time on the lunar surface. The museum's collection includes a shuttle tile, a piece of heat shield that went to the moon and back, and other artifacts that provide a tangible connection to past space missions.

  • The Artemis II mission launched on April 2, 2026, sending four astronauts on a mission to orbit the moon.
  • The JPL Museum was founded in 2015 to honor the legacy of Joseph Loftus Jr., who passed away in 2005.

The players

Joseph Loftus Jr.

A NASA engineer who spent over four decades with the agency, playing a key role in designing crew accommodations and life support systems for early spacecraft.

James Loftus

The director of the JPL Museum and the son of Joseph Loftus Jr., who is preserving his father's legacy and the history of the space program through the museum's collection.

JPL Museum

A small museum located in a bed-and-breakfast in Stayton, Oregon, that houses a collection of artifacts and memorabilia related to the history of the space program, with a focus on the contributions of Joseph Loftus Jr.

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What they’re saying

“This is my father here, Joe Loftus Jr.”

— James Loftus, Museum Director

“In the early stages, he was responsible for the crew accommodations for basically where the switches lay out for the astronauts as they're going through their flights.”

— James Loftus, Museum Director

“When you remember the first time we went to the moon, we were only there for a few hours. When we went back, we were able to extend that stay to 72 hours, and that's because his team had redesigned, without redesigning the spacecraft had redesigned the fuel tank and oxygen tank.”

— James Loftus, Museum Director

“He would've been a big proponent for it from the very beginning.”

— James Loftus, Museum Director

What’s next

The Artemis II mission is scheduled to return to Earth in late 2026, marking a significant milestone in NASA's return to the moon. The JPL Museum plans to continue preserving the legacy of Joseph Loftus Jr. and inspiring the next generation of space explorers.

The takeaway

The JPL Museum's collection of artifacts and memorabilia serves as a tangible link between the pioneering work of NASA engineers like Joseph Loftus Jr. and the ongoing exploration of the moon, reminding us of the human stories behind the history of spaceflight.