Buzz Aldrin's Apollo 11 felt-tip pen sells for $850,000

A felt-tip pen that played a crucial role in the Apollo 11 mission, preventing astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong from being stranded on the Moon, has sold for a remarkable sum at auction. The pen, used to activate a critical engine arm switch after it broke, fetched over $850,000 at a Sotheby's auction in New York.

Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, recalled the incident, describing the broken switch as the "worst switch that could have possibly broken." Without it, the engine for the return journey from the lunar surface could not have been engaged, leaving the astronauts with no way back to Michael Collins in the command module and Earth. Aldrin opted to use the felt-tip pen to reset the switch, a move that proved successful.

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It was the worst switch that could have possibly broken.

The pen, made of matte aluminum and now dried out, was sold along with the broken switch piece. The auction also saw other significant items from Aldrin's personal collection go under the hammer. A small Soviet flag, carried by Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission and signed by him, sold for $102,400. The Apollo 11 flight plan, a crucial document detailing the steps for the historic moon landing, was acquired for $51,200.

Additionally, a color photograph titled "Earthrise," depicting the Earth rising over the lunar horizon as seen from the Apollo 11 command module, sold for $61,440. While the title is similar to the more famous "Earthrise" from Apollo 8, this version was signed and annotated by Aldrin, Michael Collins, and CAPCOM Charlie Duke, with a separate framed signature from Neil Armstrong included to complete the crew.

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I could have stuck my finger in and reset the switch, but current was flowing through the circuit breaker, and I didn't want to electrocute myself.