Selling Space
Published on Mar 25, 2008 at 8:35 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under history, space exploration.
Yesterday, I saw a news item about space memorabilia being auctioned nearby in Dallas. The auction is being held by Heritage Auction Galleries. What caught my attention was the news headline declaring that patches from Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit were to be auctioned off. Actually, it isn’t just Buzz Aldrin’s spacesuit patches being sold, but plenty of other things, too. Items for sale come from astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Richard Gordon, and Charles Duke. There are mission patches, pens, flight manual pages, sunglasses, flashlight, and even bits of foil all flown into space. There is also a license plate and passports owned by the astronauts. There is a rocket model signed by Wernher von Braun. Mission medallions (flown and unflown), stamps, signed photographs and books, and even a book signed by all seven Mercury astronauts are included. Some bits of flown hardware are also for sale. There’s even a spoon for sale used by an astronaut to eat in space.
I am of a mixed mind about all of this. Apparently Charles Duke has indicated that he feels that the auction is a good opportunity to promote the significance of space missions. Collectors get a chance to own a piece of history. The significance that society bestows that history, in a capitalistic society like in America, is in part measured by how much people are willing to pay for things. Granted, they will pay a huge amount of money for something connected to a celebrity, but that fame is fleeting. These space missions happened many years ago, and memorabilia from them still command high prices. That says something.
However, space exploration is a major accomplishment. This is one of humanity’s grand achievements. It is like the first steps in finding a new continent. We know that the Earth’s resources, though vast, are finite. Eventually, we need to expand and use resources in space. We will need to colonize space. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat what has happened to other species on this planet: go extinct.
But, that means that space exploration is for all mankind, not just a few. And, in that sense, I have problems with some of the space memorabilia going into private hands. Yes, I would love to own something that had flown to the Moon and back. I would dearly love to have pages from a flight manual, or a tool that was used on the Saturn V rocket. However, those things would be better in a museum to be shared by everyone rather than in my own private collection.
Of course, these items are being sold by the astronauts and they deserve something. They didn’t really get paid much to go to the Moon. In fact, astronaut pay is pretty poor. So, I don’t begrudge them one bit for all that they’ve done wanting to make some money out of it. And, some of these items are simply memorabilia, not truly historical things. For example, Buzz Aldrin’s license plate, or his passports, or even the signed books and photographs. Those items are perfectly fine. But, actual flight items are another matter, in my mind. Now, my understanding is that the astronauts didn’t get to keep just anything. They were only allowed to have those items deemed trash or their own personal items. In other words, NASA was going to throw those items away, or else the items belonged to the astronauts themselves (pens, patches, hardware meant to stay on the Moon, etc). So, there is nothing wrong with this, really. And, of course, if the astronauts had not kept those items, then they truly would have been lost to posterity. So, in that sense this is good. And, of course, virtually every one of the astronauts had already donated or loaned all sorts of items to museums.
But, by auctioning off these items, it ensures that they go to individuals wealthy enough to buy them. Yes, a few of the big museums might be able to buy something, but it cuts out all the schools, small colleges, and other places that would like to have a few of those items to put in a case to display and inspire new people to space exploration.
So, as I said, I am of two minds on the whole thing. I can see great benefits to this, and how it keeps the history of space exploration alive. But, it means that some artifacts from the glory days of space exploration are in private collections, and not in museums for all to enjoy. Of course, there is nothing to prevent the winners of the auction from loaning their winnings to a museum or school to be displayed. I just doubt that will happen for most of the items.
-Astroprof
Ed Minchau on March 25, 2008 at 9:27 pm: 1
I see nothing at all wrong with this. If these things were in private hands before and will now be in someone else’s private hands, then what has changed? I mean, these things have been in private collections for decades already, and now with this sale there is a chance that some of these items will be purchased by museums; from the perspective of someone who believes that these items belong to all mankind, this sale is a better situation than existed a week ago.
Astroprof on March 25, 2008 at 11:33 pm: 2
Agreed. The items would not have even been around had they not been taken home and been in private hands. There is nothing wrong with this. But, it would be nice if some of these items were available to museums and schools that can not afford to purchase them.