Start saving your money, space fans: Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin’s moon landing jacket is up for auction next week.
The only space-flown garment from NASA’s Apollo 11 mission still in private hands, the coverall is expected to fetch bids of $1 million to $2 million, according to the sale organizer, Sotheby’s.
The coat is one of a slew of items owned by the astronaut that will be up for auction on Tuesday, Sotheby’s spokeswoman Anna Tisi confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.
“After deep consideration, the time felt right to share these items with the world, which for many are symbols of a historical moment, but for me have always remained personal mementos of a life dedicated to science and exploration,” Aldrin said in a statement released to USA TODAY.
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“From the jacket that I wore on my trip to the Moon and back, to the famous broken circuit breaker switch that nearly ended our lives, and the pen that saved us, to various artifacts we used to complete the mission,” he said, “I hope that this collection offers some insight into what it has been like to be Buzz Aldrin.”
The “Buzz Aldrin: American Icon” sale, orchestrated by Sotheby’s Auction House in New York, also includes Aldrin’s famous “Go Army, Beat Navy” banner exposed to the vacuum of space during his 1966 Gemini XII spacewalk (going for an estimated $20,000-$30,000) as well as a “systems activation checklist” for the mission (up for an estimated $150,000-$250,000).
“This collection is the reflection of a man of incredible strength and drive, a man who has faced times of adversity with determination and perseverance, and who remained logical and level-headed, even in moments of great peril,” Sotheby’s Global Head of Science & Popular Culture Cassandra Hatton said.
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Prior to the live auction, which includes 69 items, a public exhibition featuring the sale contents is on view at Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries in New York through Monday.
The upcoming sale, according to Sotheby’s, will be a highlight of Sotheby’s “Geek Week” – a series of four sales celebrating science and discovery.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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