Neil Armstrong ‘giant leap’ inscription from Apollo 11 moon landing sells for $152,000 in NYC

1st moon landing page sells for $152,000 in NYC

NEW YORK — A sheet from the flight plan of the first moon landing signed by astronaut Neil Armstrong and inscribed with the words “One small step for a man — one giant leap for mankind” sold for $152,000 at auction Tuesday.

The page from the Apollo 11 flight plan, sold at Bonhams auction house, is inscribed with the words Armstrong says he uttered after he became the first person to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong signed the flight plan sheet and gave it to the head of NASA’s public information office while he was quarantined at the Johnson Space Center after returning to Earth.

Armstrong’s words are often quoted as “That’s one small step for man — one giant leap for mankind.” But Armstrong has always insisted he said “one small step for a man.”

In 2006, a computer analysis of the audio recording found evidence that Armstrong did say the missing “a.”

Other lots sold at Bonhams’ space history sale included a flight emblem worn by Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins and signed by Collins, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. It sold for $85,400 after being consigned by Collins himself.

The sale also included an emergency checklist from the Apollo 13 aborted moon landing the following year.

That mission suffered an oxygen tank rupture on April 13, 1970, 40 years ago Tuesday. The three-man crew famously radioed “Houston, we’ve had a problem” and then stabilized the spacecraft while saving enough power and oxygen to survive the voyage home.

The radio transmission about the oxygen tank emergency has been widely misquoted as “Houston, we have a problem.”

The checklist from the flight, used and marked by the crew, sold for $45,750.

The sale prices all exceeded Bonhams’ presale estimates and included the auction house’s commission. The names of the buyers weren’t released.

On the Net:

Bonhams: www.bonhams.com/newyork