Jacket Worn By Buzz Aldrin During Historic Apollo 11 Mission Sold For $2.7 M At Auction

Buzz Aldrin said he wore the Inflight Coverall Jacket in the Command Module Columbia, on the historic journey to the Moon, and back home again during the Apollo 11 mission.

The Inflight Coverall Jacket, worn by former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin for the historic Apollo 11 mission, the first manned Moon mission, was sold for $2.7 million at an auction in New York Tuesday, news agency AFP reported.

Aldrin, along with fellow US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, flew to the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface, followed by Aldrin. 

The three astronauts were launched to the Moon on July 16, 1969. The Apollo Lunar Module Eagle landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

The Inflight Coverall Jacket

The white jacket worn by Aldrin is adorned with an American flag, NASA's initials, a patch for the Apollo 11 mission, and the name "E. ALDRIN", the AFP report said. The jacket is part of a personal collection of items Aldrin decided to put up for sale. He was born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., and hence, the jacket is adorned with the name "E. ALDRIN". 

British-founded American fine arts company Sotheby's said in a statement that the "exceptionally rare garment" was chased by multiple bidders for almost ten minutes before selling to a bidder on the phone. 

Aldrin, the last living member of the Apollo 11 crew, said in a statement last week that after deep consideration, the time felt right to share these items with the world, which for many are symbols of a historical moment. He added that for him, these items have always remained personal mementos of a life dedicated to science and exploration. 

According to the report, Aldrin explained that the jacket was separate from the space suit he wore while walking on the Moon. The former US astronaut wore the jacket while flying to and from the Moon.

Aldrin said he wore the Inflight Coverall Jacket in the Command Module Columbia, on the historic journey to the Moon, and back home again during the Apollo 11 mission, according to the report.

The white, Teflon-coated jacket fetched the highest price among dozens of pieces of rare memorabilia auctioned at Sotheby's on Tuesday, the New York Times (NYT) reported.  

The bidding for the jacket lasted nine minutes. The auctioneer has called the jacket "the most valuable American space-flown artifact ever sold at auction", according to the NYT report.

The Smithsonian owns the garments worn by Armstrong and Collins. 

Other Space-Flown Artefacts Sold At The Auction

Of 69 lots of Aldrin's belongings, 68 were sold for a combined $8 million at the auction that lasted more than two hours, the report said.

Derek Parsons, a spokesman for Sotheby's, called the Buzz Aldrin sale the "most valuable single space exploration auction ever staged". 

According to the official website of Sotheby's, other artefacts sold include the Gemini XII rendezvous checklist, the EVA (extravehicular activity) checklist for the same mission, the Gemini XII flight plan signed by Aldrin, the summary flight plan of Apollo 11, the broken circuit breaker switch that nearly ended the lives of the Apollo 11 crew, and the pen that saved them, among others. The summary flight plan was sold for $819,000. 

Aldrin performed the world's first successful spacewalk as part of the Gemini XII mission, and set a new EVa record of five and a half hours. He also took the first 'selfie' in space during the Gemini XII mission. 

Aldrin's 'Apollo 11 Molded Earpiece' has been sold for $81,900 at the auction. 

Aldrin's Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, which was presented to him by then US President Richard Nixon, was sold for $277,200. Aldrin's New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal awarded to him, were also sold.