NPR

Moon Dust Bag, Accidentally In Private Hands, To Be Auctioned Off Today

NASA lost track of a bag that was used to carry samples during the first moon landing. A woman in Illinois bought the artifact for less than $1,000; now, it's expected to sell for at least $2 million.
During a media preview on July 13, Cassandra Hatton of Sotheby's displays the Apollo 11 contingency lunar sample return bag. It was used by Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 to bring back the first pieces of the moon ever collected. / JEWEL SAMAD / Getty Images

A small, humble-looking bag is getting its moment in the spotlight today. It traveled to the moon and back, then sat forgotten in a museum basement. It was seized by officials who didn't know its value, sold unceremoniously to a keen-eyed space enthusiast, then battled over in court.

Now the lunar collection bag from the Apollo 11 mission — and the tiny

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