Buzz Aldrin's Pen That Saved Apollo 11 Lunar Takeoff Sells for $857,600

A small silver and plastic Duro Rocket pen used by astronaut Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 mission sold at Sotheby's auction for $857,600, exceeding its estimated value of $800,000 to $1.2 million. The pen, along with a broken switch piece, came from Aldrin's personal collection. During the historic July 1969 moon landing, Aldrin and Neil Armstrong discovered a broken black switch on the lunar module's control panel, critical for powering the ascent engine needed to lift them off the moon. Aldrin recounted in his 2009 autobiography, Magnificent Desolation, that the broken switch threatened to leave them stranded on the moon indefinitely.

The astronauts reported the malfunction to mission control, but Houston initially could not reroute the power. Aldrin then used the pen to carefully bridge the broken switch, restoring the circuit and enabling their safe return to Earth. Aldrin later admitted in his 2016 book No Dream Is Too High that he likely caused the damage himself by bumping the switch with his backpack. The pen was not officially listed among the mission items but was part of Aldrin's personal preference kit.

At 96 years old, Aldrin is one of the last surviving Apollo moonwalkers. NASA plans to return humans to the moon by 2028 and recently sent astronauts on a lunar orbit mission, the first since 1972. China also aims for a crewed lunar landing around 2030. Aldrin has advocated for human missions to Mars and establishing a base there, suggesting in 2013 that resources should focus beyond a second moon race.

The auctioned pen symbolizes a critical moment in space history when a simple tool helped avert a potential disaster during humanity's first moon landing.