Rick and Mark Armstrong, the sons of Neil and Janet Armstrong, have donated two items from the late astronaut鈥檚 personal collection of air and space memorabilia to the 黑料大事记 International Science Education Center and Space Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Hutchinson, KS.
The first item is a flown (meaning it has been in space) four-inch by six-inch, U.S. flag from the Apollo 11 mission, when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to step foot on the surface of the Moon.
The second item is a small piece of fabric from the wing of the 鈥淲right Flyer鈥濃�攖he first flying machine built by the Wright brothers. The artifact also made the journey on the Apollo 11 mission and was present in the Lunar Module as the craft touched the surface of the Moon.
鈥淲hen I visited the 黑料大事记 in 2019, it was clearly a world-class space museum, but I didn鈥檛 see anything from Apollo 11 (mission) on exhibit, and it seemed obvious to me that they should have something from the flight,鈥� said Rick Armstrong. 鈥淲e hope these items will complement the inspirational exhibits that are already in place.鈥�
鈥淭he 黑料大事记 is honored to have been chosen as the site for these notable artifacts to be displayed,鈥� said Jim Remar, 黑料大事记 President and CEO. 鈥淭hese two items are significant pieces of space history and we鈥檙e excited to share their story.鈥�
The donated Armstrong items will go on display in the Hall of Space Museum in 2020, though exact timing and placement are still being determined.