Buzz Aldrin sells famous felt-tip pen that helped launch Apollo from the Moon
Summary
Buzz Aldrin sold two small items—a dried-up felt-tip marker and a broken piece of a circuit breaker—from the Apollo 11 Moon mission for $857,600 at a Sotheby’s auction. These items played a key role in allowing the astronauts to leave the Moon safely after a critical switch broke during their descent.Key Facts
- The felt-tip marker and broken circuit breaker piece were aboard Apollo 11, the first mission to land humans on the Moon in 1969.
- The circuit breaker switch controlled the lunar module’s ascent engine, which took the astronauts back to Earth.
- The switch’s top broke off accidentally, threatening to trap astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon.
- Buzz Aldrin used a plastic felt-tip pen to push the broken switch and restart the engine safely.
- The pen was a Duro-brand Rocket felt-tip marker carried in Aldrin’s space suit.
- Laws passed in 2012 allow Apollo astronauts to keep and sell items from their missions.
- The auction final price of $857,600 includes buyer fees, with the buyer’s identity not disclosed.
- The items had been publicly displayed at the Smithsonian’s “Destination Moon” exhibit.
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