Apollo 11 pen that saved Armstrong and Aldrin sells for $857,600

An ordinary felt-tip pen that helped save two astronauts from being stranded on the Moon has been sold at auction for $857,600.During the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969, Buzz Aldrin used the simple writing tool to fix a broken circuit breaker, allowing the lunar module to leave the Moon and return safely to Earth. The brushed aluminium Duro Rocket pen was the highlight of Sotheby’s 2026 Space Exploration auction, where it sold within its expected price range of $800,000 to $1.2 million.The pen was sold directly from the Buzz Aldrin Family Trust and remains one of the most famous examples of emergency problem-solving in space history.The broken switch on the MoonThe story of the pen began after a dangerous problem inside the Lunar Module Eagle. After Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin finished their historic Moonwalk, they returned to the lander to prepare for departure.