Image of three lunar samples brought to Earth in 1970 by the Soviet Luna-16 mission, enclosed in glass. They will go to auction in November.(Photo: Sotheby's & # 39; s)

Sotheby's will sell the only known samples of the moon in private hands at an auction next month, the auction house announced.

The moon rocks, covered with glass, were brought to Earth during the Soviet Luna-16 mission of 1970, according to Sotheby's ..

The former USSR presented these samples to the widow of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, former director of the Soviet Space Program.

Korolev led the Soviet space program as it passed important milestones in space exploration, including the launch of the first artificial satellite at Sputnik and the flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.

The lunar stones will be auctioned on Nov. 29, at an estimated price of between $ 700,000 and $ 1 million, Sotheby's announced.

This will be the second time that these samples will go on sale to an individual, the house said. The same lunar rocks had already been sold by Sotheby's in 1993.

Other lunar samples exist but remain in the countries that collected them, notably the United States and Russia, which succeeded the USSR.

"These samples are subject to the laws governing public gifts and, in most cases, as in the United States, the law currently does not allow for the transfer of public gifts to an individual," said Sotheby's in a statement. article published Tuesday.

"As such, it is the only lunar sample documented and known to have been offered to an individual."

The moon rocks auction is part of a larger "Space Exploration" sale organized by Sotheby's, which also includes a NASA Gemini space suit and a model of the world. Soviet LK-3 lunar lander.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @ brettmolina23.

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/10/31/moon-rocks-sell-sothebys-auction-up-1-million/1830508002/