Space has become a topic that has its fans, and many of them are willing to pay millions for objects related to it. The most expensive of all time has to do with with the Apollo 11 Mission, that took the first astronauts to the Moon.
In 2022, an anonymous bidder paid $2.8 million for the jacket worn by Buzz Aldrin on his trip to the Moon. He did it in a Sotheby’s auction.
The auction house explains that after the launch and completion of the translunar injection, Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins removed their pressure garments and they put on their much more comfortable overalls on board (ICG), which consisted of a jacket, pants and boots made of beta, fire-resistant fabric.
Aldrin and his companions wore these garments throughout the trip to the Moon. He and Armstrong put their pressure suits back on for their descent to the lunar surface. and they changed again for their trip home, meaning that most of the mission was spent in the jacket.
Cassandra Hatton, global director of science and popular culture at Sotheby’s, pointed out the honor that the price achieved means.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside Buzz to bring such prestigious objects to market for the first time, and today’s record-breaking result demonstrates the continuing and eternal importance of the Apollo 11 Mission, about 53 years since man first set foot on the Moon,” he said.
Buzz Aldrin, the second man to reach the Moon, after his partner Neil Armstrong, wore the white jacket with the NASA logo and the label with his last name. Together with Armstrong and Michael Collins, they headed towards the historic destination, in which they landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Aldrin passed two hours and 31 minutes walking on the Moon, taking samples, setting up experiments and placing a commemorative plaque.
The jacket he wore in the Eagle Module is made of a fire-resistant material called beta cloth. This was incorporated into the space suits after the deaths of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee in 1967, during the Apollo 1 Mission.
Currently, Buzz Aldrin is 93 years old, established as a hero after the 1969 trip. In 2023 He received the rank of honorary Brigadier General, remembering that he also served in 66 combat missions in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel.