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Success in Kickstarter campaign to save Neil Armstrong's spacesuit

The Smithsonian's Kickstarter campaign to conserve the spacesuit that Neil Armstong wore on his historic walk on the moon has met it's goal, and the museum now hopes to raise more money to help conserve Alan Shepard's suit.

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NASA/AP/File
Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, plant the US flag on the lunar surface, July 20, 1969.
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Smithsonian
Neil Armstrong's spacesuit that was worn on the moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, seen here in close-up, is the focus of the Smithsonian's "Reboot the Suit" campaign.
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Smithsonian
Early rendering of Armstrong suit display in "Destination Moon," the National Air and Space Museum's new gallery opening in 2020.
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Eric Long/National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution via AP
This handout photo provided by the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution shows the spacesuit worn by astronaut Neil Armstrong, Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first man on the moon on July 20, 1969. The National Air and Space Museum is launching a crowdfunding campaign to conserve the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore on the moon. The campaign begins Monday, marking 46 years since Armstrong’s moonwalk in 1969. Conservators say spacesuits were built for short-term use with materials that break down over time. The museum aims to raise $500,000 on Kickstarter to conserve the spacesuit, build a climate-controlled display case and digitize the spacesuit with 3D scanning.

| Washington

The National Air and Space Museum has increased its goal for a crowdfunding campaign to conserve the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore on the moon and now hopes to raise $700,000.

The campaign began Monday on Kickstarter and met its initial $500,000 goal within five days. As of Saturday, the campaign raised about $525,000.

Now the museum hopes to raise more money to conserve Alan Shepard's Mercury spacesuit. The museum aims to conserve, digitize and display Shepard's suit. Shepard made the first American manned space flight in 1961.

The Smithsonian has partnered with Kickstarter for a series of crowdfunding projects. The spacesuit effort is the first, and it will run for 24 more days.

Armstrong's spacesuit will be displayed temporarily in 2019 and in a new exhibit planned for 2020.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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