Crowdfunders raise $540K to preserve moon space suit

WASHINGTON — A Kickstarter campaign that the Smithsonian Institution launched last week to help conserve and display the space suit Neil Armstrong used during his famous walk on the moon reached its goal in five days.

The Smithsonian was hoping to get $500,000 to go toward conserving, displaying and digitizing the suit in time for the for 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing July 20, 2019. As of Sunday night, officials soared past their original goal, raising more than $540,000 with 23 days remaining.

Armstrong first set foot on the moon at 10:56 p.m. ET July 21, 1969, uttering his now famous phrase, "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong's suit had been on public display when the National Air and Space Museum opened in 1976 on the National Mall but was put into storage in 2006 to prevent further damage.

The early success doesn't mean the Kickstarter campaign is dead. The Smithsonian increased its fundraising goal to $700,000. The extra money will go toward conserving, digitizing, and displaying the space suit Alan Shepard wore during the first American space flight in 1961.

Editorial cartoonist Dave Sattler of the (Lafayette, Ind.) Journal and Courier wonders what's next if the Smithsonian has to resort to crowdfunding. See his and other Gannett artists' political cartoons here.