Kickstarter May Save Neil Armstrong's Spacesuit: New Campaign Launches to Preserve History

First Posted: Jul 21, 2015 12:53 PM EDT

Even the Smithsonian Institution is turning to Kickstarter. The U.S. National Air and Space Museum has decided to use crowdfunding to help save the spacesuit that Neil Armstrong wore on the moon.

"We want to preserve Armstrong's spacesuit-and the story it tells of its incredible journey-down to the particles of lunar dust that cling to its surface," the Kickstarter page states. "Just like the Apollo program, we will accomplish this in collaboration [with] thousands of people across the country and around the world."

In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong made history. He, along with astronaut Buzz Aldrin, climbed into a lunar module known as Eagle and made their descent from orbit to the Earth's moon. Several hours later, Armstrong planted the first human food on the moon, joined shortly by Aldrin. They left behind an American flag, a patch honoring the fallen Apollo 1 crew, and a plaque on one of Eagle's legs reading: Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.

Unfortunately, the spacesuits that the astronauts used to walk around the moon weren't built to last. Spacesuits are actually among the most fragile artifacts in the museum's collection. While they were made to take astronauts to the moon and back safely, they weren't built to last hundreds of years in the museum. This means that the suits require conservation to stop their deterioration.

The museum is requesting a funding of $500,000 to help with the conservation of the suit now and in the future. Already, they've raised more than $200,000, and there are still 28 days to go on the campaign. Assuming the campaign is successful, museum officials hope to restore the suit to its original, pristine white condition.