Nearly five decades ago, when Neil Armstrong took “one giant leap for mankind” by walking on the surface of the moon, he did what any tourist does: He collected a souvenir.
Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the lunar surface, scooped some lunar rock– Moondust, which was collected in the lunar landing is to be sold at a New York auction. The dust was stuffed inside Armstrong’s sack with the world’s first samples of lunar rocks during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. The bag represents one of the greatest achievements in space exploration and the chance to own a rare piece of history.
Traces of dust still remain in the outer decontamination bag, which includes a label reading “LUNAR SAMPLE RETURN.” The lunar dust plus some tiny rocks that Armstrong also collected are zipped up in a small bag and are worth an estimated $2 million to $4 million.
They’re just some of the items linked to space travel that Sotheby’s is auctioning off to mark the 48th anniversary of the first lunar landing on July 20. Armstrong’s snapshot of fellow Apollo 11 astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin standing on the moon could go for up to $4,000. Also on the block, is a documented flight plan that astronauts used to return to Earth.
