Going against NASA ’s wishes for the artefact to be donate to a museum , a accumulator just sold three control joysticks used on the Apollo 11 delegacy to the Moon . sell for over $ 780,000 ( £ 615,700 ) , the joystick included the chief airplane pilot control stick used by the first man on the Moon , Neil Armstrong , in the command module .
The three joysticks were sold on an individual basis and included two rotational position controllers and a translation hand controller . One of the rotational attitude control used by Armstrong fetched the highest bid at $ 370,000 .
In the official description fromJulien ’s Auctions , the stick were dubbed “ some of the most important pieces in space exploration chronicle , ” and rightfully so – the Moon landing is the most well - known place mission ever undertake .
According toSpace.com , the joysticks were reportedly mean to be given to the three astronauts but were refused and put in a safe where they remain for many years .
" According to the former NASA employee who managed the safe , prior to his retirement in 1985 , he call for his supervisory program what to do with the controllers and was tell apart to throw them out ; however , he alternatively took the three controllers home , " NASA ’s Office of Inspector General ( OIG ) write in anaudit of NASA ’s historical property . " yr later , the former employee sold the controllers at vendue to a gatherer of space memorabilia . "
NASA has tried urgently over the last decade to prevent these items from falling into private collectors ’ hands . After the joystick went up for auction in Boston back in 2013 alongside other Apollo 11 memorabilia , a NASA question into the true possession of the itemsprevented the sale . NASA bespeak that the items be donate to a museum , but have since give up .
Apollo 11 memorabilia bring sizeable heart whenever they derive up for vendue , withtwo fiftieth anniversary auctionslast class selling various point for up to $ 5 million . Items for sale have include the flight of steps timeline manual of arms that was used by the astronauts during the charge and Neil Armstrong ’s gold decoration souvenir .
