Manuel Apollo 11 should sell for millions

The letter-sized document, which contains procedural notes, checklists, and flight records, contains numerous handwritten notes of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – and would have been sitting between the two astronauts on the pier. the eagle, according to Christie's auction house.

This is one of seven Apollo 11 items to be presented at the auction. Other lots include flight plans and a star map. They will be joined by nearly 200 other memorabilia of space, including lunar maps, technical plans and signed photographs.

The document is marked with handwritten notes taken by Apollo 11 astronauts. Credit: Christie & # 39; s

But it is the manual, officially titled "Apollo 11 Lunar Modules Calendar," which should attract the highest bids. Christie's expects the article to sell for between $ 7 and $ 9 million, a valuation that places it "firmly in the category of the most expensive printed books at auction" said Christina Geiger, Christie's book and manuscript manager.

"I have been in the world of book auctions for almost 20 years," she said in a phone interview. "And, hand on heart, it's the most exciting thing I've worked on."

Buzz Aldrin photographed by Neil Armstrong in the lunar module of Apollo 11 during the lunar mission on July 20, 1969. Credit: Space Borders / Hulton Archives / Getty Images

For Geiger, it's not just "the most important space exploration document", but it's unlikely to be matched. Even if humans were to reach Mars, she added, scanning space travel means that an equivalent paper recording will never be produced or used.

"It's a human artifact," she added. "The paper is on different stocks, one of the tabs is even printed upside down and every page used by astronauts is corrected at Cape Canaveral (NASA Space Center) at any point in time. mid-June to July 12, four days before the launch.

"This gives the impression of all the work done in (the mission), both in the field and in the real-time annotations of Aldrin and Armstrong."

An Apollo 10 flag is one of about 200 memorabilia of space travel presented at auction. Credit: Christie & # 39; s

Items from other NASA missions will also be on display, including a flag on Apollo 10 (estimated price: $ 25,000 to $ 35,000) and a sun block component of a lunar module from Apollo 13 (8,000 to $ 12,000), which aborted attempting to land on the moon in 1970.

Among the items likely to attract the biggest offerings, a brush to remove dust from camera lenses during the lunar landing of Apollo 14 in 1971 ($ 175,000), is expected to reach $ 90,000.