Three videotape reels of the Apollo 11 mission that a former NASA intern originally bought for just $218 is up for auction ahead of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, and could sell for as much as $2 million.
The footage is being auctioned by Sotheby’s, and has been described as “the only surviving first-generation recordings of the historic moon walk”.
Bidding for the footage will start at $700,000, and Sotheby’s expects the reels to ultimately sell for anywhere from $1 to $2 million.
The auction house says that the footage is among 1,150 reels that Gary George purchased in 1976 from a government surplus auction. Mr George, a former intern at the space agency, paid just $218 then for them, or about $975 in modern dollars.
Mr George has said that he didn’t know the contents of the tapes for decades, and originally didn’t believe they contained anything of value.
1/8 Flag waves but there is no wind on the moon
The theory goes that as the flag is waving in the wind, it must have been on earth as there is no wind on the moon. If it were on the moon it would simply droop. The truth is that it is not waving, rather it is being held in place by a telescopic pole running through the top of the flag and it is crumpled as it had been screwed up for days en route to the moon
NASA
2/8 Boot doesn’t match the boot print
It is suggested that this picture of a boot print on the moon is fake because it does not line up with the tread of this boot from Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit. That’s right, it doesn’t.
NASA
3/8 Boot doesn’t match the boot print
The print does however match that of the outer boots, the ones worn by the Apollo crew when walking on the moon. And while we’re at it: the print is from Buzz Aldrin not Armstrong.
NASA
4/8 No stars in outer space?
Why are there no stars in sight when this picture was taken on a rock in outer space that has no atmosphere? Answer: camera settings. In order to capture this photo in direct sunlight, the camera would have to have a very narrow aperture and the shutter would only stay open for a minuscule amount of time. This means that the camera will not take in the light of the distant stars, only that of the much nearer, brighter sun.
NASA
5/8 Astronauts couldn’t survive the radiation belts
The Van Allen belts are regions of extremely high energy charged particles are trapped in the earth’s magnetic field. The conspiracy theory goes that the astronauts could not possibly survive exposure to this level of radiation.
NASA
6/8 Astronauts couldn’t survive the radiation belts
Professor Anu Ojha of the National Space Centre answers: “Firewalking. If you’ve ever done firewalking, you’ll know the one thing you don’t do is linger around in the middle of the firepit. You cross as quickly as you can… as long as you walk across quite quickly, looking at the thermal conductivity of your feet, you are not going to have enough thermal energy going into the soles of your feet to burn you. You’re absolutely fine. Just don’t hang around in the middle!
In a similar way, the transit time through the Van Allen radiation belt right at the beginning of the Apollo voyages was incredibly short. Travelling through the Van Allen radiation belt if you are going fast enough – which you need to be if you’re going to the Moon – is no problem whatsoever”
AFP/Getty
7/8 Shadows aren’t parallel – must be a lighting set-up
These two shadows are pointing in separate directions, hence they must be lit by two separate lights in a studio set-up rather than the single-point source of the sun.
NASA
8/8 Shadows aren’t parallel – must be a lighting set-up
No, this is simply a matter of perspective. The moon’s surface is not flat and so the shadows are not projected perfectly parallel. This question would have never been asked if we could see the beginning of the shadows, which would all align with the same vanishing point.
NASA
1/8 Flag waves but there is no wind on the moon
The theory goes that as the flag is waving in the wind, it must have been on earth as there is no wind on the moon. If it were on the moon it would simply droop. The truth is that it is not waving, rather it is being held in place by a telescopic pole running through the top of the flag and it is crumpled as it had been screwed up for days en route to the moon
NASA
2/8 Boot doesn’t match the boot print
It is suggested that this picture of a boot print on the moon is fake because it does not line up with the tread of this boot from Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit. That’s right, it doesn’t.
NASA
3/8 Boot doesn’t match the boot print
The print does however match that of the outer boots, the ones worn by the Apollo crew when walking on the moon. And while we’re at it: the print is from Buzz Aldrin not Armstrong.
NASA
4/8 No stars in outer space?
Why are there no stars in sight when this picture was taken on a rock in outer space that has no atmosphere? Answer: camera settings. In order to capture this photo in direct sunlight, the camera would have to have a very narrow aperture and the shutter would only stay open for a minuscule amount of time. This means that the camera will not take in the light of the distant stars, only that of the much nearer, brighter sun.
NASA
5/8 Astronauts couldn’t survive the radiation belts
The Van Allen belts are regions of extremely high energy charged particles are trapped in the earth’s magnetic field. The conspiracy theory goes that the astronauts could not possibly survive exposure to this level of radiation.
NASA
6/8 Astronauts couldn’t survive the radiation belts
Professor Anu Ojha of the National Space Centre answers: “Firewalking. If you’ve ever done firewalking, you’ll know the one thing you don’t do is linger around in the middle of the firepit. You cross as quickly as you can… as long as you walk across quite quickly, looking at the thermal conductivity of your feet, you are not going to have enough thermal energy going into the soles of your feet to burn you. You’re absolutely fine. Just don’t hang around in the middle!
In a similar way, the transit time through the Van Allen radiation belt right at the beginning of the Apollo voyages was incredibly short. Travelling through the Van Allen radiation belt if you are going fast enough – which you need to be if you’re going to the Moon – is no problem whatsoever”
AFP/Getty
7/8 Shadows aren’t parallel – must be a lighting set-up
These two shadows are pointing in separate directions, hence they must be lit by two separate lights in a studio set-up rather than the single-point source of the sun.
NASA
8/8 Shadows aren’t parallel – must be a lighting set-up
No, this is simply a matter of perspective. The moon’s surface is not flat and so the shadows are not projected perfectly parallel. This question would have never been asked if we could see the beginning of the shadows, which would all align with the same vanishing point.
NASA
But in 2006, NASA admitted that they had lost the Apollo 11 landing tapes, and Mr George realised the value of the tapes that he had purchased.
NASA says that other recordings of the landing were likely reused or erased in the early 1980s.
The auction being held by Sotheby’s is dedicated to space exploration, and opened over the weekend.
