Smithsonian launches crowdfunding for Armstrong’s spacesuit restoration

Washington, D.C. – Recently, a crowdfunding campaign was launched by the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in its efforts for Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit restoration from the historic Apollo 11.

The Apollo 11 spacesuit was the same suit that Armstrong wore during the Apollo 11 mission, when he was declared in 1969 to be the first human to walk on the Moon.

On July 20 this year, the crowdfunding campaign was initiated, the date marking the 46th anniversary of the human arrival on the natural satellite of Earth.

The “Reboot the Suit” was the campaign’s name, and by the end of its sixth day after the launch, it has surpassed its initial goal by over $30,000. There were still 24 days left, before the end of the crowdfunding campaign.

In a blog post, Equity Net said that supporters of the Reboot the Suit campaign are qualified to receive rewards when it comes to their tax deductible donations that range from digital posters to Emil Buehler Conservation Lab tours, which is located at Chantilly, Virginia’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The rewards will allow the qualifiers to see the spacesuit in person.

Meanwhile, the spacesuit restoration campaign was intended to raise $500,000 as it will be a very complex task, involving a historic article. The restoration will cover everything in order to restore and preserve the spacesuit, including chemical analysis, repair, 3-D scanning, and restoration that will complete the entire task.

Moreover, the museum aims at restoring the suit completely, placing it on public display, not only for people to see anytime, but more especially to celebrate the anniversary of the historic lunar mission.

The organization also hopes that the spacesuit restoration will be in time to mark the 50th anniversary in 2019 of the momentous and groundbreaking Moon exploration breakthrough in America’s history.

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