Lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong on first mission to Moon comes to auction

The Bonhams Space History sale will present lunar dust collected by American astronaut Neil Armstrong from the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 on April 13 in New York. Photo: AFP

Bonhams is set to auction a part of space history on April 13, when Moon dust collected by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission goes under the hammer. This exceptional lot could sell for a seven-figure sum.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon in front of hundreds of millions of television viewers. He was quickly joined by his colleague, Buzz Aldrin. For two hours, the two astronauts explored Earth's natural satellite to take pictures, deploy certain scientific instruments and collect rock and soil samples. Among them, Moon dust.