A Rare Print of the Only Photo of Neil Armstrong On the Moon Is for Sale

The only known photograph of Neil Armstrong on the moon — and a rare, type 1 example at that — is up for auction. At the time of publication, it was bidding at more than $15,000 with less than seven hours remaining.

The photo is described as a “type 1,” meaning that it is a first-generation print made from the original negative and within just a couple of years of when the photo was captured.

“[The] exceedingly rare original ‘Type 1’ vintage color glossy 10 x 8 red-numbered NASA photo (AS11-40-5886) shows Neil Armstrong on the right—packing a lunar sample into an open rockbox at the MESA (Modular Stowage Equipment Assembly) and the deployed flag of the United States on the left,” RR Auctions writes. “Also visible are the Solar Wind Collector and a strut of the Lunar Module Eagle, which casts a dramatic shadow across the lunar surface in the foreground. Reverse bears ‘A Kodak Paper’ watermarks. In fine condition, with a tiny emulsion blemish in the shadow, and a light paperclip impression to the right edge.”

Lot #5183 Apollo 11 Original ‘Type 1’ Photograph – The Only Hasselblad Shot of Neil Armstrong on the Lunar Surface | RR Auctions

This photo is especially unusual given the subject: Neil Armstrong. It is the only known photo of the Apollo 11 commander on the lunar surface, as he was typically the one holding the camera. Buzz Aldrin is the one pictured in most of the images of the mission, many of which have become iconic of NASA’s missions.

“Though Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on another world on July 20, 1969, he was almost always positioned behind the camera during the moonwalk,” RR Auctions explains.

For decades, it was widely believed that there were no high-resolution photos of Neil Armstrong taken on the lunar surface from the Apollo 11 mission. Beceause of this, for a long time, the only known images of Armstrong were grainy video frames from the Westinghouse television camera and just a few exposures from the 16mm Maurer motion picture camera.

“That belief changed in 1987, when researchers carefully reviewing mission records and frame sequences identified this image within Buzz Aldrin’s panoramic series taken from the rim of Double Crater. Captured in stark lunar light, Armstrong appears in full profile, methodically stowing precious lunar samples—an unguarded working moment of the first man on the moon, preserved in crisp 70mm detail. No other still Hasselblad photograph documents him on the lunar surface in this way.”

The photo, which is one of the featured images in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Apollo 11 archive, is ID number AS11-40-5886:

Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander, became the first man to step on the moon on July 21, 1969. He and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin planted the United States flag where they landed on the moon. | NASA

“Remarkably, this frame was not selected for general release by NASA’s Public Affairs Office in 1969. As a result, it remained largely unpublished and unseen for decades,” RR Auctions says. “Very few vintage red-numbered prints are known to survive, making this not only one of the most historically significant images of the Apollo program, but also one of the most elusive.”

The auction for this particular printed example has been ongoing since March 27 and will end today, April 23.

Image credits: Header photo via RR Auction