The space suit has always seemed to me to be extremely strong and durable. Since he can protect a person in outer space, what can happen to him on Earth? In reality, space suits turned out to be surprisingly fragile, and long-term storage in the museum hall for them is several times more dangerous than traveling on the Moon. And Neil Armstrong's spacesuit is no exception.
Neil Alden Armstrong is a NASA American astronaut, test pilot, space engineer, university professor, US naval pilot and the first person to step on the moon.
Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft
Lunar module pilot Aldrin Buzz in front of the US flag, photo taken by Neil Armstrng
This significant event took place on July 20, 1969 during the American lunar expedition aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft. It was then, when he first stepped on the surface of the moon, Armstrong said the catchphrase that has become: 'One small step for a person, but a leap for all mankind.'
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You can see what the Armstrong space suit was like in several museums around the world, but these are all just copies. The real spacesuit is now housed in a special climatic zone at the US National Aerospace Museum along with many other spacesuits and has been closed for public display since 2006. Such measures had to be taken due to the extremely deplorable state of the spacesuit, but even in conditions of specially selected temperature and humidity, his days are numbered.
But this spacesuit is not just a thing, it is a memory of a real feat, which, along with the first space flight of Yuri Gagarin, will never be forgotten. And he clearly does not deserve such a fate.
Smithsonian Museum USA specialists want to do everything possible to ensure that this unique piece does not end its days in the museum warehouse. It is planned to study every detail of it, each layer in maximum detail, draw up a map of the spacesuit, carefully document everything, and then proceed with the restoration. Or it is better to say 'conservation', no one will try to 'improve' the spacesuit or give it the appearance of a new one, the main task is to protect it from further decay. For the human eye, there should be no difference between the 'before' and 'after' states at all.
The analysis of the suit will use the most modern tools, from 3D scanning and computed tomography to chemical analysis. The suit itself is planned to be presented to the public in 2019, during an exhibition dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. In addition, everyone will be able to study a detailed 3D model of the spacesuit, which will be as detailed as possible today. For example, it will be possible to explore all the layers of which it consists, despite the fact that there are more than two dozen of them. And if you want, even print the details of the spacesuit on a 3D printer.
Alas, the authorities were not interested in such a project, the specialists could not find any official sources of funding. As a result, it was decided to reach out to all people at once by launching the corresponding campaign on Kickstarter. And it really bore fruit – at the moment, the required amount of $ 500,000 has already been collected and there is a struggle to achieve the next goal – $ 700,000, which will raise money to restore the spacesuit of Alan Shepard – the man who made the world's second space flight.
Alan Shepard's suit
At the moment, $ 658,877 has been collected, there are still 3 days left until the end of the project. Those wishing to support the project can use the link below. After all, a small step by one person can really become a leap for all of humanity.
Project page on Kickstarter
Do you know that…
In 2009, the company Motorola introduced a mobile phone Motorola Aura Celestial Edition with a moon theme. After all, it was the radio transmitter Motorola aboard the American Apollo 11 spacecraft that sent the first voice message and video from the Moon to Earth on July 20, 1969. A special 'moon' edition of the phone Motorola Aura included themed content provided by NASA. These are images and videos captured on the Moon, as well as audio recordings, including the famous words of astronaut Neil Armstrong.
