Museum launches Kickstarter campaign to save Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 space suit

NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong. Inset: The Smithsonian Kickstarter campaign page

It was forty-six years ago that Neil Armstrong first took a stroll on the lunar surface.
And over in Washington DC, the Smithsonian museum has launched a campaign aimed at preserving the suit he wore during the Apollo 11 mission.
Space suits are currently stored in a climate-controlled, off-site facility designed to prevent deterioration. Now the museum plans to raise $500,000 (£321,500) to build a special display case that both protects the suit and showcases it for the space-loving public.
To raise such a vast fee, the federally-funded museum turned to Kickstarter - and fans have already pledged over $170,000.

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The Kickstarter campaign has already amassed over $170,000

"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 museum writes on its campaign page.
It also outlines why it needs the help from members of the public to get hold of the cash in the first place.
While the federal money goes towards supporting the core functions (safeguarding collections, basic research and operational costs), new exhibitions often require additional private support.

This is the original space suit that Neil Armstrong wore on his trip to the moon

“This is the first time we’ve teamed up with a museum in this way," said Yancey Strickler, the CEO and cofounder of Kickstarter.
"We are enormous admirers of the Smithsonian, and we’re thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with them and to invite new audiences to be a part of their work."