A true piece of interstellar history just hit the auction block at Sotheby’s, and it sold to the highest bidder for an astronomical price.
Buzz Aldrin’s historic Inflight Coverall jacket, the very same one he wore when flying to the moon and back during the monumental Apollo 11 mission of 1969, sold this week for an astounding $2,772,500.
See also: This Watch Went To Space, And Now It Goes To Auction
That final bid surpassed the estimated value by $772,500, although it seems only fitting for the outfit worn by a man who broke barriers for all of mankind. This also marks it as the most expensive American space-flown artifact ever sold at auction, and the most valuable jacket sold at auction too.
Apollo 11 saw Aldrin and his colleague Neil Armstrong become the first humans to ever land on the moon. Aldrin was second to Armstrong’s famous first steps, but it belittles his accomplishments no less.
His jacket is the only garment from the mission available for private ownership, and it sold after a hot bidding war that lasted 10 minutes to a buyer who placed their bids over the phone.
To inspect the jacket is to see the marks of American history in action. One can admire the reinforced holes in the upper torso through which the astronaut’s medical connections could be connected, monitoring vital signs of life during the incredibly tough extraterrestrial journey.
Under the left lapel, you’ll find Buzz’s name stitched. It reads “E. Aldrin,” reflecting his birth name Edwin. Below it sits the official Apollo 11 mission patch, while the right lapel bears NASA’s iconic logo. The flag of the United States is stitched on the left arm.
Beyond its obvious significance, the suit is also the first to feature a new, non-flammable cloth developed by NASA following the deadly events of Apollo 1 in 1967. Beta Cloth was very novel in 1969, and it helped protect Aldrin, Armstrong and others from micrometeroids while exploring outside the safety of their space crafts.
Having won possession of this incredible suit, the buyer also receives a MIRAImage NFT as a sort of digital certificate of authenticity. See more images of the suit below, and learn more at sothebys.com.
Photography by: NASA; Courtesy of Sotheby's
