The very suit he was wearing when he walked on the Moon

Aug 20, 2015 21:45 GMT  ·  By

Earlier this year, on July 20, the Smithsonian launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $500,000 (€445,000) to restore Neil Armstrong's spacesuit. Yup, the very spacesuit the astronaut was wearing when he set foot on the Moon back in 1969.

Reboot the Suit” was the Smithsonian's first attempt at online crowdfunding ever and things worked out way better than anyone would have dared imagine.

The campaign took just 5 days to meet its goal. All the same, contributions kept pouring in and so the Smithsonian ended up making nearly $720,000 (€641,000). Not bad, right?

The suit should be ready for public viewing in 2019

The reason the Smithsonian can't simply have the spacesuit and the accompanying helmet dry-cleaned and then hang them in some museum is because, when they were made, nobody expected them to last for decades.

Rather, they were designed more like a one-time outfit. They were only supposed to get Neil Armstrong to the Moon and back, not withstand the test of time and stick around to witness the turn of the century.

The spacesuit, made from layers of polymers and rubber, is now falling apart. Especially the rubbery parts, which scientists with the Smithsonian say have gotten worryingly brittle. Hence, it will take some time to restore it.

In fact, it looks like the spacesuit won't be ready  for public viewing until 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo mission during which Neil Armstrong became the first man ever to walk on the surface of the Moon.

Astronaut Alan Shepard's suit will be restored as well

In 1961, NASA astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American ever to travel into space. Then, in 1971, he too got to walk on the Moon as commander of the Apollo 14 mission.

Since its Kickstarter campaign raised way more more than expected, the Smithsonian plans to also restore one of his spacesuits and put it on display along Neil Armstrong's.

“We’ll make sure Neil Armstrong and Alan Shepard’s spacesuits are accessible to inspire generations to come,” the Smithsonian promises.

“What’s next for #RebootTheSuit? It’s time to get to work! Stay tuned in the coming weeks, months, and years as we share what we discover about these two incredible spacesuits.”

Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard

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