On Wednesday, lunar dust samples gathered by Neil Armstrong during Apollo 11 were up for the auction. The microscopic moon dust was sold for $504,375 at Bonhams’ Space History Sale in New York. The amount fell short of Bonham’s pre-auction estimate of $800,000 to $1.2 million.
“Lot 21 shown on your screens presents a unique opportunity to own a NASA-verified piece of the Apollo 11 contingency sample,” said Ian Ehling, Bonhams’ director of fine books and manuscripts, before opening the bidding at $220,000.
“Representing the height of human achievement when Armstrong took man’s first steps on the Moon, the sale of this specimen marks the first time a part of the Apollo 11 contingency sample, which has been tested and verified, can be sold at auction,” according to auction house Bonhams.
The tiny samples were so small that Bonhams was unable to provide a total weight and cited their size in microns.
Four of the five stubs tested positive for moon dust particles
Four of the five stubs tested positive for moon dust particles. It matched the contingency lunar sample obtained by Armstrong, according to independent testing conducted at Bonhams’ request. Due to a change in testing methodology, the fifth stub exhibited lunar traces that were different from the other four. The winning bidder was anonymous. However, it marked the conclusion of a tumultuous history for the samples. The samples came from the Decontamination Bag of the Apollo 11 Contingency Sample Return Container (CSRC).
Other items of Bonhams’ sale include an original fragment from Sputnik-1 (estimated $80,000-$120,000), a payload carrier mockup from Explorer 1 (estimated $40,000-$60,000).