This handout photo provided by the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution shows the spacesuit worn by astronaut Neil Armstrong, Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first man on the moon on July 20, 1969. (Eric Long/National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution via AP)
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is within $5,000 of successfully completing its first Kickstarter, a crowdfunding campaign to preserve and digitize Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit. The “Reboot the Suit” campaign is raising money to take the suit, which Armstrong wore on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, and create a 3D digital model before putting it on display for future generations.
While the Smithsonian receives federal funding for its general operation, those funds are used for things like building operations and maintenance and safeguarding collections. When the museum wants to undertake projects such as Reboot the Suit, it’s on its own when it comes to finding funds.
Armstrong’s suit is currently being stored in a climate-controlled facility. If the crowdfunding campaign is successful, which looks likely, the suit will be put on display temporarily for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 2019. Afterwards, the suit will become the centerpiece of a new exhibition at the museum, Destination Moon, set to open in 2020. That exhibition will focus on the technology that ultimately made Armstrong’s 1969 moon walk possible.
The Smithsonian is currently trying to raise $500,000 in order to make its dream a reality. If the museum is able to raise $700,000 it will also digitize and preserve Alan Shepard’s spacesuit. Shepard was the first American in space, and if the goal is met, his suit will also become part of the Destination Moon exhibition.
In typical Kickstarter form, those who donate to the project will walk away with a prize. A $25 donation, for instance, earns backers an exclusive behind-the-scenes video tour of the spacesuit’s conservation process, a digital poster, and a thank you email. For $10,000 you can earn the Ultimate Behind-the-Scenes Experience and visit the spacesuit in person at the Emil Buehler Conservation Lab at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
Currently the Smithsonian is just slightly short of its $500,000 goal, with 25 days left in the crowdfunding process.
