Piece of first spacecraft to land on moon up for grabs
8 Nov 2009, 1132 Hrs

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London, Nov 8 A piece of the first spacecraft to land on the moon is expected to fetch up to 1,200 pounds at an auction on November 14 in Devizes, Wiltshire.

The piece of Kapton Foil from the Apollo 11 is being auctioned by Henry Aldridge And Son with a signed endorsement from crew member Buzz Aldrin, reports Sky News.

With an estimated value of between 900 pounds and 1,200 pounds, the gold-like tape was attached to the module from the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first humans on the moon in 1969.

Coated with aluminium and oxidised silicon monoxide, it protected the command module during its re-entry into the earth's atmosphere on July 24 1969.

Although most of it burnt off, members of the spaceshuttle recovery team collected bits as souvenirs.

A letter, typed on an 'Apollo XI' letterhead, talks about the role of the fragile Kapton Foil, most of which burned away during the 25,000mph re-entry.

Signed in black ink by Aldrin, the letter states: "A small portion of it survived and was salvaged by the North American Recovery team on board the aircraft carrier Hornet, and carefully preserved for posterity."

The auction will also offer a signed photograph of the crew of the Apollo 12, the second manned mission to land on the moon. (ANI)

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