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Buzz Aldrin’s moon jacket sells for record $2.8m

 (AP)
(AP)

The jacket worn by astronaut Buzz Aldrin on his historic first mission to the moon has become the most valuable American space artefact ever sold at auction, after fetching over £2 million.

The article was sold by Sotheby's in New York on Tuesday as part of the most valuable single space exploration sale ever staged, which achieved a total of $8.2 million (£6.8 million).

Having sold for a total of $2,772,500 (£2,303,254) it also makes the item the most valuable jacket ever sold at auction.

The jacket displays Aldrin's name tag on the left breast above the Apollo 11 mission emblem, and the American flag on the left shoulder.

Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins stand next to their spacecraft in 1969 (AP)
Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins stand next to their spacecraft in 1969 (AP)

It is made of a fire-resistant material known as Beta cloth that was incorporated in spacesuits in response to the fire that killed three astronauts aboard Apollo 1 in 1967, according to Sotheby's.

The jacket was purchased by an anonymous bidder, who participated in the auction by phone.

"Today's result is a testament to the legendary career of Buzz Aldrin and his lifelong dedication to the exploration and understanding of the universe," said Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby's Global Head of Science & Popular Culture.

"It has been a privilege to work alongside Buzz to bring such prestigious objects to market for the first time, and today's record breaking outcome proves the ongoing and everlasting significance of the Apollo 11 Mission, some 53 years since man first walked on the Moon."

Buzz Aldrin - In pictures

US astronaut Buzz Aldrin in 1969 (AFP/Getty Images)
US astronaut Buzz Aldrin in 1969 (AFP/Getty Images)
This 20 July 1969 file photo released by NASA shows astronaut Edwin E.
This 20 July 1969 file photo released by NASA shows astronaut Edwin E.
Buzz Aldrin walks the runway at the Nick Graham NYFW Men's F/W '17 show on January 31, 2017 in New York City (Getty Images)
Buzz Aldrin walks the runway at the Nick Graham NYFW Men's F/W '17 show on January 31, 2017 in New York City (Getty Images)
US astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the lunar surface (NASA)
US astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the lunar surface (NASA)
Man's first landing on the Moon, as the Lunar Module,
Man's first landing on the Moon, as the Lunar Module,
A close-up view of an astronaut's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon. While astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM)
A close-up view of an astronaut's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with a 70mm lunar surface camera during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon. While astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM)
Buzz Aldrin speaks onstage during the 15th Annual Global Green Pre Oscar Party at NeueHouse Hollywood on February 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California (Getty Images )
Buzz Aldrin speaks onstage during the 15th Annual Global Green Pre Oscar Party at NeueHouse Hollywood on February 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California (Getty Images )
A portrait taken in July 1969 of US astronaut Buzz Aldrin (AFP/Getty Images)
A portrait taken in July 1969 of US astronaut Buzz Aldrin (AFP/Getty Images)
The three US astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission take part in a tickertape parade in the Ginza, Tokyo, during a two-day visit to Japan on their Goodwill Tour of the world, 4th-5th November 1969 (Getty Images)
The three US astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission take part in a tickertape parade in the Ginza, Tokyo, during a two-day visit to Japan on their Goodwill Tour of the world, 4th-5th November 1969 (Getty Images)
Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh with President Richard Nixon aboard the USS Hornet on 24 July 1969. The President was on hand to greet the astronauts after their splashdown in the Pacific (Getty Images)
Apollo XI astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin laugh with President Richard Nixon aboard the USS Hornet on 24 July 1969. The President was on hand to greet the astronauts after their splashdown in the Pacific (Getty Images)

Other notable prices achieved during the sale included the Apollo 11 Summary Flight Plan containing a complete summary of the entire Apollo 11 Mission, from launch to splashdown.

The nine-page booklet encloses the full timeline of the mission, including descriptions of the Lunar Module landing, the Lunar Surface EVA (Moonwalk) and Lift off from the Moon.

It sold for a total of $819,000 dollars (£680,384), over five times its presale high estimate.

Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first astronauts to walk on the moon on July 20 1969.