Photo via Kickstarter/Smithsonian Reboot the Suit
Photo via Kickstarter/Smithsonian Reboot the Suit

The Smithsonian’s campaign to bring back Neil Armstrong’s suit is officially a success.

The Kickstarter campaign to “Reboot the Suit” attracted nearly 9,500 backers and almost $720,000 to pay for the restoration and display costs of the iconic space suit Armstrong wore when he walked on the moon.

We wrote about the campaign in July, the Smithsonian calling on space fans to help fund the restoration project. The real suit will go on display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s Apollo 11 Moon landing exhibit in 2019, the 50th anniversary of the iconic moon walk.

Photo via Kickstarter/Alan Shepard's suit
Photo via Kickstarter/Alan Shepard’s suit

Fans helped the Smithsonian easily blast past its initial goal of $500,000 and meet its stretch goal of $700,000. The additional funds will now allow the Smithsonian to also restore and display the suit Alan Shepard wore during the first manned spaceflight in 1961.

Both Armstrong’s and Shepard’s suits will be part of a new exhibition called Destination Moon planned for 2020.

In other rad spacesuit facts, did you know that Armstrong’s suit was made by bra manufacturers? Or that it then cost only $100,000 to make (about $670,000 today)? For this and other superfun facts about the painstaking process of creating the suit, read the Smithsonian piece here.

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