The jacket worn by US astronaut Buzz Aldrin during his journey to the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 was sold at auction in New York on Tuesday for $2.7 million, Sotheby’s announced.
This white jacket, in which the American flag, the initials of NASA and the Apollo 11 mission can be distinguished, as well as the name “E. ALDRIN”, was part of a personal collection of objects that the astronaut, now 92 years, had decided to put up for sale.
“This exceptionally rare garment was coveted by multiple bidders for almost ten minutes before being sold to a buyer over the phone,” Sotheby’s said in a statement.
“Symbol of a historical moment”
“After careful consideration, it seemed that the time had come to share with the world these objects that, for many, are the symbols of a historical moment, but that, for me, have always been personal reminders of a life dedicated to science and exploration. Buzz Aldrin, the last member of the trio of astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission still alive, said when the sale was announced.
In the catalog of the lots, Buzz Aldrin specified that the jacket for sale was different from the spacesuit he had been wearing when he landed on the lunar surface with Neil Armstrong, but that he had worn it for the three-day round trip. . the three-day return trip aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft.
The suits worn on the moon by Armstrong and Aldrin are part of the collections of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
Source: BFM TV
