Astronomical Auction Pearl

July 21, 1969 remains a memorable day in the history of space travel. On this date, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon for the first time. This week we present an auction piece with a direct connection to the celestial body. Recently, five tubes containing moon dust changed hands for a sum that, like its origin, can only be described as astronomical.

July 21, 1969 is still a memorable day in the history of space travel. On this date, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon for the first time. This week an Auction gem that has everything to do with the celestial body. Recently, five tubes containing moon dust changed hands for an amount that - just like the origin - can be called quite astronomical.

The dust comes from the first shovels of lunar soil Armstrong collected during the 11 Apollo 1969 mission. He took a small "adventure" sample of lunar dust before carrying out the rest of his planned activities on the moon's surface. The idea was that if the mission had to be aborted for any reason, the astronauts could still take some material back to Earth.

During the mission, 21.6 kilos of material was ultimately collected, including the 'emergency sample' of just under 500 grams. The bag was loaned to a space museum in Kansas after the mission, according to NASA. However, when the museum's director was found guilty of stealing and selling artifacts from NASA and the museum, the bag ended up in the hands of the US government, the US Marshals Service. The bag of moon dust then ended up in the hands of an American woman through an auction.

Lawsuit

NASA decided to sue the woman to get the material back. They maintained the position that all material collected during the Apollo missions – moon rocks and moon dust – is the property of the US government and should not fall into private hands. A judge ultimately ruled in favor of the buyer. 

In 2017, the empty bag went under the Sotheby's hammer for the equivalent of €1.6 million. The moon dust itself was auctioned off last year. Auction house Bonhams sold it for an amount of approximately €450.