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Offered for sale by a foreign collector who wishes to remain anonymous, the series is estimated at nearly 190,000 francs.
This NASA file photo taken July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong’s right foot leaves an imprint in the lunar soil as he and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first men to land the foot on the surface of the moon.
AFP
The dark side of the Moon, the first “Earthrise” or the footprints of Buzz Aldrin: more than 70 original NASA photographs, including the first taken on the Moon in July 1969, are the subject of a rare auction on Wednesday in Copenhagen.
“One of my favorite photos from this fantastic collection is a photo of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong where you can see Armstrong reflected in the visor,” says Kasper Nielsen, an auction house manager Bruun Rasmussen.
The 74 photos are from several Apollo missions carried out by NASA, the American space agency, around and mainly on the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, including 26 taken from the Earth satellite.
“Of course, the highlight is the Apollo 11 mission reaching the Moon for the first time”, on July 20, 1969, underlines Mr. Nielsen, who led the evaluation of the pictures by the largest Danish auction house.
Sold by a foreign collector who wishes to remain anonymous, the series is estimated by Bruun Rasmussen at 1.4 million crowns in total, or nearly 190,000 francs.
Separate sale
Each photograph is sold separately.
The most valuable, the first “Earthrise” photographed by American astronaut William Anders in December 1968 from lunar orbit, is estimated at between 8,000 and 12,000 francs.
There are also pictures taken during the very eventful return to Earth of the Apollo 13 mission, victim of a serious accident.
Several of the silver originals were part of the NASA archives and are on public display for the first time ahead of the sale.
Others have appeared on the cover of major American magazines such as National Geographic or Life to illustrate the success of the United States in the space race.
“This collection is very important today,” judge Mr. Nielsen. “It shows us the great achievements of humanity from a historical perspective, looking at what happened and what humanity achieved in the 1960s and 1970s.”
“She also shows us that when you set a goal, almost anything is possible.”
The last time humans visited the moon was in 1972, with Apollo 17, but NASA is aiming for an astronaut return there around 2025-2026.
(AFP)