Inspiring a new generation of Scientists and Science/ Space Enthusiasts is one of our goals as Scirens. So we were thrilled when we were contacted about the Smithsonian’s new Kickstarter endeavor to preserve and display Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit from the Apollo 11 lunar mission! If successfully funded, the suit will be preserved and digitized, to then go on display in 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the lunar walk) at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, after which it will be relocated to the new Destination Moon exhibit opening in 2020. The campaign is called #RebootTheSuit and the official press release can be found here.
But why should you care? Today marks the 46th anniversary of the first walk on the moon — the monumental ‘small step for man, giant leap for mankind’ happened 46 years ago! NASA didn’t have the computing power of what we now have in our mobile phone, yet they were able to launch a spacecraft, maneuver it to the moon, land it and then have a human being walk its surface. The talent, intelligence, and bravery needed to accomplish this is an inspiration, one we think that is captured by the space suit. It represents the very human element of this amazing accomplishment. We haven’t been back to the moon in almost 43 years, so it’s our responsibility to inspire the next generation to go there, and beyond. And it all begins with one person dreaming of the stars. So we are proudly supporting this campaign to keep this important piece of history intact and displayed for generations to come.
But don’t take our word for it. Please check out the campaign — which has really amazing, educational perks — hosted by none other than our friend astronomer and science communicator extraordinaire Phil Plait aka @BadAstronomer! Hopefully you can contribute to preserving and celebrating an important part of our history as scientists and explorers — something that can only help to inspire future generations.
Thanks for reading!
Taryn for the Scirens
#FullSTEAMahead
The Apollo moon landings were among the most spectacular achievements of the 20th century. Items such as Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit help people younger people who were not yet born at the time to understand that achievement.