Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing by the US flag planted on the surface of the moon on 20 July 1969. Photograph: Neil Armstrong/Nasa handout/EPA

The only surviving original recording tape of the first moon landing are to go up for auction

Aminy Andawi
Social & Life
People
Jul 02, 2019
2483
Gary George owned a bunch of old videotapes which he bought in nearly 40 years ago for $218 from a US government auction. He planned to sell the videotapes to television stations, however, he decided to keep three tapes which turn out to be the only surviving original recording of the first moon landing in 1969, labeled as “Apollo 11 EVA”.

The three NASA labeled reels was spotted by George’s father who was really into the space program. At first, George thinks he sold all eight tapes, but then he thinks that the NASA labeled tapes might be valuable someday so he finally decided to keep them back.

The 65-year-old George was very surprised as he had no idea that the three tapes he decided to keep have any value. The tapes are now to go on a sale in July at Sotheby’s in New York and expected to cost $2m. The tapes collection includes Neil Armstrong’s famous line “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind-“ and footage of Buzz Aldrin planting the US flag on the moon and walking in a minimal lunar gravity.

After a long search, NASA finally found the missing tape when George’s friend who worked at NASA told him that they were looking for the tapes. George never got the chance to watch the tape, but as he spoke to NASA about handing them over, he was able to see the authentic footage for the first time.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/28/apollo-11-tapes-moon-landing-sale-value-nearly-lost

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