Celebrate the story of Arthur A. Collins and and the Collins’ inventions that forever changed communication.
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Arthur Collins has been described as a genius, a visionary, a fireball casting a brilliancy across the sky. There is no doubt Arthur and his Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based company engineered many pioneering technologies that greatly influenced significant moments in our world and in space.
“Your progress will depend on your individual imagination. I urge you to give it free reign.”
Discover the world-changing technologies developed at this small radio communications company headquartered in Iowa.
Explorers in the Richard Byrd expedition regaled Americans with stories of their discoveries at the bottom of the Earth through Collins’ radio equipment.
Be inspired by learning more about The Collins Story with these tools and archives located right here at your fingertips.
Bring Arthur’s story and his world-changing inventions to life for children and classrooms K-12.
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Discover the Collins’ legacy of innovation that influences employees’ work today.
Investigate the little known history of Arthur Collins, his Iowa-based company, and its global impact.
The Collins Story comes to life in these award-winning films. Click on the film title to watch and learn more about each documentary.
Donations of money and artifacts support future documentaries, the Collins Museum operations and efforts to promote STEM programming in grades K-12. Gifts are tax deductible.
Collins Employee, Capt. Patrick Casey, was Killed In Action.
Rockwell Collins, Inc. organized as a independent corporation after being “spun-off” from Rockwell International Corp.
Gemini 3 was launched by a Titan II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, manned by Astronauts Virgil Grissom and John Young. Reentry followed the third orbit. Voice communications were performed at 296.9 MHz with an output power of 3W. A backup transmitter-receiver at 15.016 MHz with an output power of 5W was also available.
Gemini 8 was launched by a Titan II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, manned by Neil Armstrong and David Scott. Gemini 8 was to rendezvous with an Agena Target Vehicle (GATV). About 27 minutes after docking, the combined vehicle began to go into a violent yaw and tumble. Armstrong disengaged the Gemini capsule from the Agena causing it to roll, pitch, and yaw even more rapidly than when it was connected. Armstrong and Scott managed to deactivate the Orbit Attitude and Maneuver System and stabilize using reentry thrusters.
It’s World War II. The United States government needs rugged, hi-tech radio equipment for U.S. and Allied Forces. It needs lots of it, and fast. One of the companies the U.S. military turns to is Collins Radio, an Iowa company led by a young CEO known for his engineering genius. The small company answers the call to help defend liberty, producing thousands of state-of-the-art radios to provide troops, sailors and airmen with reliable, long-distance communications essential to liberating Europe and the world.
