The Trouble with Space Auctions

Abstract

Essay| September 01 2023 The Trouble with Space Auctions Eleanor S. Armstrong, Eleanor S. Armstrong Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Teaching and Learning, Stockholm University, Institutionen för ämnesdidaktik 106 91 Stockholm eleanor.armstrong@su.se Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Jordan Bimm Jordan Bimm Assistant Instructional Professor of Science Communication and Public Discourse, University of Chicago, 5737 S. University Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 jordanbimm@uchicago.edu Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar eleanor.armstrong@su.se jordanbimm@uchicago.edu Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences (2023) 53 (4): 425–433. https://doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2023.53.4.425 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Eleanor S. Armstrong, Jordan Bimm; The Trouble with Space Auctions. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 1 September 2023; 53 (4): 425–433. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2023.53.4.425 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentHistorical Studies in the Natural Sciences Search On July 20, 2021, Sotheby’s, the storied centuries-old auction house, promised collectors the Moon—or at least the chance to bid on items involved in getting there. Among the eighty-seven lots up for sale was an Apollo Guidance Computer. This metallic box, designed by MIT’s Instrument Laboratory and produced by Raytheon starting in 1966, was an essential tool for navigating the lunar surface and an important forerunner of modern computing. Sotheby’s estimated that this celebrated artifact—frequently studied not only in space history but also in the history of technology—would fetch between $200,000 and $300,000 USD. But when the auctioneer’s hammer hit the lectern, the price had skyrocketed to $746,000 USD. Other items on the block that day included a lunar surface checklist used by Neil Armstrong (sold for $63,000 USD) and Richard Feynman’s personal notes from the Challenger disaster investigation (sold for $44,100 USD). In case there was any doubt, Sotheby’s... You do not currently have access to this content.