There's a Kickstarter to save the space suit Neil Armstrong wore on the moon


Kickstarter isn't just for Zach Braff and potato salad. The National Air and Space Museum launched its first crowdfunding campaign on the site Monday as the start of a year-long partnership between the Smithsonian museums and Kickstarter, The Washington Post reports. And it's quite the first project: The museum is asking for $500,000 to conserve, digitize, and exhibit the space suit Neil Armstrong wore when he set foot on the moon 46 years ago today.
The museum is aiming to display the suit in a special climate-controlled case by 2019 — in time for the Apollo 11 mission's 50th anniversary — and then make it the centerpiece of a new gallery. Early on the Kickstarter's first day, people have already scrounged together more than $14,000. That's one small step for crowdfunding; one giant leap for museum conservation.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
-
AI workslop is muddying the American workplace
The explainer Using AI may create more work for others
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime minister
Speed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
The 5 best mob movies of all time
The Week Recommends If you don’t like a good gangster flick, just fuhgeddaboudit
-
The moon is rusting
Under the radar The Earth is likely to blame
-
Panspermia: the theory that life was sent to Earth by aliens
Under The Radar New findings have resurfaced an old, controversial idea
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programs
The Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th test
speed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
Hurricanes are not exclusive to Earth. They can happen in space.
Under the radar These storms may cause navigational problems
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Colorado
speed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's study
Speed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-off
Speed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars