Aldrin Apollo 11 Suit

Three space suits were made for each Apollo astronaut assigned to a flight: a training suit, a backup suit, and a flight suit. The flight suit, of course, is the one which was worn on the actual flight. Many of the space suits displayed by museums around the country are the backup or training suits, with the Smithsonian retaining most of the flight suits.

Additional information on the various parts of the Apollo space suit can be found in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit chapter of the Biomedical Results of Apollo.

The Smithsonian displays Buzz Aldrin's actual flight suit, the one he wore on the lunar surface. It is my understanding that the Smithsonian previously displayed both Armstrong and Aldrin's suits, but that they now alternate the suits in the display case, the other suit "resting" in an appropriate climate-controlled vault.

The Apollo to the Moon Gallery is very dark, and the Smithsonian does not allow the use of tripod photography. This meant flash photography through glass display cases.