The Smithsonian museum has launched a Kickstarter campaign Monday to raise money to save and display Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit.
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Museum management hopes to raise $500,000 in the next month – enough to prepare the suit for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 2019.
The Smithsonian, which operates 19 museums in Washington and New York City as well as the National Zoo and nine research institutes, is testing Kickstarter as a possible way to help fund the special projects and exhibits not covered by its federal funding.
You might think that a museum as mighty as the Smithsonian could just embark upon the restoration and display of the suit on its own. The goal is to ready the suit for permanent display by July 20, 2019 – the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. “The years have taken their toll on Neil’s suit, but now, the technology exists to bring it back to its former glory, digitize it and put it on exhibit”.
Documenting the suit’s appearance, in its current state, will be a huge part of this project. “We’ll also be looking for climate systems, which didn’t exist decades ago, that will fit in the case and maintain an environment very similar to how the suit is being stored today”.
“This is the crown jewel of our collection”, Cathleen Lewis, curator at the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian, tells collectSPACE.com.
In addition to the Armstrong spacesuit, Destination Moon will feature several other significant artifacts, including a huge Moon mural painted by the famous space artist Chesley Bonestell in 1957.
Within hours, the “Reboot the Suit” campaign had raised almost $100,000 – but in line with Kickstarter rules, the project has to be fully funded by August 19 before pledges are collected from all backers. Technology used for conserving spacesuits has advanced quite a bit since it was conserved by dry cleaning when the museum first received the spacesuit from NASA in the late 1960s. The public can back the project on the Kickstarter page. But the suit he wore during that historic mission is falling apart, and only crowdfunding can save it. “Backers of Kickstarter are motivated and interested and we’re showing them the process”, she said.
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If the Kickstarter campaign does reach the half a million goal within 30 days, those who donate to the cause will receive varying types of rewards, ranging from a 3D print of Neil Armstrong’s gloves, to a Smithsonian flag that flew in space.
