A 12 pound rock blasted from the moon in a meteorite that landed in Africa thousands of years ago could have a spot on your coffee table. It's expected to sell for at least $500,000 in an online auction beginning Thursday.

RR's space auction features incredible 12-lb. lunar meteorite: 'The Moon Puzzle'

RR Auction's current space auction (bidding through Oct. 18) has more than 600 rare and remarkable items relating to space exploration, plus an exciting collection of meteorites from Geoff Notkin of Aerolite Meteorites. All the Apollo missions are represented, as well as Mercury, Gemini, the space shuttle, and many more artifacts.

There are significant offerings of flown items; rare red-number NASA photographs and autographs; detailed models; several pieces of hardware; and aeronautical computing and training equipment.

Just a few highlights of the 600+ items include:

• Apollo 15 Commander Dave Scott's comprehensive lunar landmark book, with lunar geology annotations
  
• Buzz Aldrin's surface-flown Apollo 11 Lunar Module Descent Chart
  
• Apollo Block I Flight Director Attitude Indicator: The Apollo "8 Ball"
  
• Space Shuttle Wide Field Camera and Lens Hood
  
• An exceedingly rare lunar meteorite, nicknamed "The Moon Puzzle," is six pieces totaling 12 pounds. It's already garnering press attention, from the New York Times to Fox News.

More than two dozen meteorites are presented, including a stunning Fukang pallasite meteorite with "extraterrestrial peridot.""

Bidding ends October 18; for details and to register to bid, visit rrauction.com.

This is because a) I have the highest hopes for it of any item I've ever consigned; and b) there was a mistake in the listing in the print catalog and (until a couple of days ago) online. I won't go into detail about that because I've always been happy with the service I get with RR, and they quickly fixed it when I pointed it out, but I think it might have dissuaded potential bidders. So now I'm asking you to take a second look.

It's a big (47 inches tall) beautiful Saturn V model made at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center during the days of Apollo. There is a tiny human figure standing at the base to show the massive size of the original, and a little lunar module is visible through a clear plastic window. You can take the LM out and stand it up - see the pictures. All the engines, stages, and modules are labeled.

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Originally posted by DSeuss5490:
In regards to Lot 4401, Dave Scott's lunar landmark maps, was there a duplicate set of these maps that were used on the Lunar Rover?

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The CSM Lunar Landmark book per se is not a duplicate of the LRV Lunar Map book per se. However some of the maps in the CSM book use the same images as some of the maps in the LRV book, but they are separate documents.

The CSM maps were only in lunar orbit, and the separate LRV maps were stowed in lunar orbit before descent, but then used on the surface. None of the maps in the CSM Map book were removed and used in the LRV Map book. Further, some of the maps and images and pages in the CSM Map book are different from some of the maps and images and pages in the LRV Map book.

12-pound Moon Rock sold for more than $600k at auction

An extremely rare lunar meteorite sold for $612,500 according to Boston-based RR Auction.

The meteorite was discovered in a remote area of Mauritania, in the deserts of Northwest Africa in 2017. The meteorite is classified as NWA 11789, lunar feldspathic breccia, unofficially known as "Buagaba" or "The Moon Puzzle." It is comprised of six fragments that fit together, puzzle-like, to form a mass weighing very nearly 5.5 kg (12 pounds). With partial fusion crust visible on one side, it is a brand new classification and the largest known, complete lunar puzzle. Without a doubt, one of the most important meteorites available for acquisition anywhere in the world today and, perhaps, the most significant example of our nearest celestial neighbor ever offered for sale in the history of meteorite science.

"The winning bid came from a representative working with the Tam Chuc Pagoda Complex, located in Ha Nam Province, Vietnam," said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction. "We are extremely happy and thrilled that this magnificent lunar meteorite will be proudly displayed at this beautiful facility — and this "Moon Puzzle" will certainly inspire students of science for generations to come."

Highlights from the sale include, but are not limited by:

• Dave Scott's flown Apollo 15 Lunar Landmark Maps book carried to the moon during the Apollo 15 mission sold for $74,182.

• Northwest Africa (NWA) 8022 lunar meteorite slice, comprised of lunar feldspathic breccia sold for $45,987.

• Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin letter written just three weeks before the launch of Apollo 11, where Armstrong contemplates what he will say upon stepping onto the moon sold for $30,318.

• Gordon Cooper's Mercury-era journal sold for $28,658.

• Saturn Launch Vehicle digital computer memory module sold for $26,271.

• Apollo 11 crew signed photograph of the Apollo 11 astronauts in front of the Lunar Module sold for $8,892.

The Space Exploration Auction from RR Auction began on October 11 and concluded on October 18.