Buzz Aldrin’s 1969 moon jacket becomes most valuable US artefact at auction after selling for £2.3m | US News
The jacket that Buzz Aldrin wore on the first mission to the moon in 1969 has sold for more than £2 million – becoming the most valuable American artifact ever sold at auction.
Showing Aldrin’s nameplate on the upper left chest Apollo 11 mission emblem, the jacket is made of a flame retardant material called Beta fabric.
The paper was sold by Sotheby’s in New York as part of a space exploration sale from which the items totaled $8.2 million (£6.8 million).
Sotheby’s said Buzz Aldrin: American Icon is “the most important space exploration collection to bring to market” and that the 92-year-old has “carefully preserved the documents since his mission.” “.
Aldrin’s coat sold for $2,772,500 (£2,303,254) and was purchased by an anonymous auctioneer, who entered the auction by phone.
According to Sotheby’s, the Beta fabric used to make Aldrin’s jacket was incorporated into the spacesuit in response to the fire that killed three Apollo 1 astronauts in 1967.
Other notable prices achieved during the sale of the 69 personal items include an Apollo 11 flight plan summary containing a complete record of the entire Apollo 11 mission, from launch to landing. .
The nine-page booklet covers the entire mission schedule, including descriptions of the module’s lunar landings, EVA on the lunar surface (moonwalk), and lunar takeoffs.
It sold for a total of $819,000 (£680,384), more than five times its previous high estimate.
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Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Global Director of Science & Pop Culture, said: “Today’s results are testament to Buzz Aldrin’s legendary career and his lifelong dedication to discovery and discovery. understand the universe.
“It’s been an honor to work with Buzz to bring such prestigious objects to market for the first time, and today’s record-breaking results demonstrate the continued and enduring significance of the Apollo 11 mission. , about 53 years since man first stepped on the moon.”
Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first astronauts to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.
