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Neil Armstrong’s Moon Artifact Donated To Frontiers Of Flight Museum

The fabric from Kitty Hawk and Apollo 11 will go on display on Oct. 2, 2025
Matilda Preisendorf
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Photo: Matilda Preisendorf | Local Profile

The Frontiers of Flight Museum will soon unveil a historic donation from the Armstrong Family Collection: a rare fragment of the original Wright Flyer fabric, which was flown at Kitty Hawk and again aboard Apollo 11 during its moon landing.

What It Is 

The small piece of fabric was from the cloth that astronaut Neil Armstrong carried with him when he became the first person to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. It originally came from the left wing of the Wright Flyer, the first powered airplane to achieve sustained flight in 1903.

To further enrich the display, Armstrong’s sons also contributed a companion piece — an authentic Apollo 11 patch created by Texas Art Embroidery — complementing the presentation of the fabric swatch in the museum.

Why This Matters

The artifact will serve as a centerpiece in the museum’s aerospace collection, inspiring future generations of visitors with its deep connection to the Apollo program and its transformative impact on space exploration.

“This artifact belongs to the museum now, which is extraordinary,” the museum’s President and CEO Abigail Erickson-Torres told Local Profile. “We have a great replica of the Wright Flyer hanging from our ceiling. We have a Moon rock on display in our space exhibit hall — so when you bring all that together, the provenance of this item is priceless.”

When And Where To See It

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Photo: Tom Warnock | Wright Flyer replica

Mark Armstrong, eldest son of Neil, will serve as the keynote speaker at the Frontiers of Flight Museum Legacy In-Flight Luncheon on Oct. 1, 2025. Following the luncheon, the artifact will go on display at the museum for the public to see at 6911 Lemmon Ave, Dallas. 

The luncheon, chaired by the esteemed engineer, pilot and parachutist Dyan Medina Gibbens, will honor the legacies of the past while supporting the museum's future aerospace-STEM education programs, which impact thousands of students each year.

To see the artifact before the public, tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the Legacy In-Flight Luncheon are available. Contact Catharine Recht at [email protected] for more information. 

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