Going Through Neil Armstrong's Purse

Curator Allan Needell and object conservator Lisa Young explore the contents of a bag retained by astronaut Neil Armstrong after his historic Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969. The bag, referred to as the McDivitt Purse, was found in Armstrong's closet by his wife shortly after his death in 2012. Inside were items used in the Lunar Module while on the surface of the Moon. Working together to examine physical evidence on the items and review historic records, Needell and Young have been able to piece together even more of the story of Apollo 11 and the astronauts who flew the mission.

Two objects objects found inside Armstrong's purse, a Lunar Module waist tether and 16mm Data Aquisition Camera, were the first objects in this collection to be displayed to the public in "Outside the Spacecraft: 50 Years of Extra-Vehicular Activity": http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/outside-the-spacecraft/online/walking.cfm

Learn more about how the purse came to the Museum: http://blog.nasm.si.edu/highlights-from-the-collection/the-armstrong-purse/

16mm DAC footage provided by David Woods, courtesy of Apollo Lunar Surface Journal

Video Number: WEB14821-2015

Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

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