Lunar dust samples sold at auction for half a million dollars. The price was expected to be higher

On April 13, dust samples from the moon obtained by Neil Armstrong as part of the Apollo 11 mission were sold under the hammer. Prior to this, NASA wanted to return them to the space museum, but as a result of litigation, it lost to a private individual who had previously acquired samples at another auction for a relatively small $995.



The total cost of the lot amounted to $504,375 and was much lower than predicted. Prior to the auction, the private entity intended to sell five samples and a NASA storage container for $800,000 to $1,200,000. As a result, the lot was sold for $400,000, the final amount was formed by adding fees and a buyer's bonus.

It is curious that the bag where the astronaut placed relic samples was sold in 2017 for $ 1.8 million, which is almost four times more than the cost of the samples themselves.