Crowdfunding Spotlight: Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit

Each week, we give a bit of space and focus to a local would-be entrepreneur. Generally, this is someone who has ideas and goals for a product or business, but maybe not the funds to get their promising enterprise off the ground. These folks turn to crowdfunding and we help to get the word out.

This week, we turn our attention to something a little different…an out of this world effort. The Smithsonian recently announced a partnership with Kickstarter for a series of projects. This will be the public’s opportunity to take action and help to preserve history. The first project in this line is one that should be close to the hearts of many proud Ohioans…Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit.

This is the actual suit worn by the Wapakoneta (Ohio) native when he became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 21st, 1969. The suit is described as fragile and because of that, it’s kept in climate-controlled storage as opposed to being out on display for museum visitors. The Smithsonian wants to conserve the suit, digitally scan it, and place it back on public display before the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 2019.

The institute is calling this project Reboot the Suit. And because of restrictions on the federal funding that the Smithsonian receives, an effort like this is the only way that they can finance the effort to preserve Armstrong’s Apollo 11 spacesuit.

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