Sotheby’s to shoot for the moon with astronaut Aldrin’s flight suit

Sotheby’s to shoot for the moon with astronaut Aldrin’s flight suit

The in-flight jacket worn on the 1969 Apollo 11 moon-landing mission is estimated to fetch between US$1 mil and US$2 mil in auction next week.

The in-flight jacket was worn by Buzz Aldrin during the 1969 Apollo 11 moon-landing mission. (Reuters pic)
NEW YORK:
Auction house Sotheby’s New York will sell off the personal collection of American astronaut Buzz Aldrin at its “Buzz Aldrin: American Icon” sale on Tuesday.

Among the highlights is an in-flight jacket that Aldrin wore on the 1969 Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, which has a sales estimate of around US$1 million (RM4.5 million) to US$2 million.

“This is an incredibly rare thing,” said Cassandra Hatton of Sotheby’s, adding that it was the only flown garment from the Apollo 11 mission available to be purchased.

Another top lot is a pen the Apollo 11 crew used to repair a broken circuit-breaker switch, saving their lives. Its estimate stands at US$1 million to US$2 million as well.

The collection also includes awards, medals and letters from the astronaut’s life.

“I can say with no hesitation that it is the best space-exploration sale to have ever happened, and there will not be another better than this,” Hatton added.

A separate sale will follow on Wednesday, titled “Meteorites: Select Specimens from the Moon, Mars, Vesta and More”.

That sale will feature the end piece of a lunar meteorite that Sotheby’s says is the second most massive piece of the moon on Earth.

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