Bonhams Puts Space History on the Block

Most of us can only dream of reaching the cosmos—that is until space tourism kicks in. Some of us are even lucky enough to own a piece of space history. And on July 20, Bonhams will mold the two together, putting an incredible array of rare space items up for auction in New York. The “Space History” sale will include items from Project Mercury, the Gemini Missions, the Apollo moon landing, Soyuz, Skylab, and many more historical journeys into space. Featured items include photographs, flight plan sheets, and even full spacesuits. View a portion of the items from the catalog below. For more information on the auction, click here.

Full-Scale Vintage Sputnik-1 EMC/EMI Lab Model – This test model of the famed Soviet satellite still has an operational transmitter, which can be powered by a 12-volt battery. Pre-auction estimate: $10,000–$15,000. To register a bid on the item, click here.

(Courtesy of Bonhams)

Flight-Worn Spacesuit From ISS Expedition 6 – Flight engineer Don Pettit actually wore this spacesuit while returning to earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-1, following the Columbia disaster. Pre-auction estimate: $25,000–$35,000. To register a bid on the item, click here.

(Courtesy of Bonhams)

Astronaut Hand Casts Used in the Making of Spacesuit Gloves – Included in this lot are 15 life-size plaster casts of hands, each bearing a brass name plaque. Astronauts featured include Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and 13 others. Pre-auction estimate: $6,000–$9,000. To register on the lot, click here.

(Courtesy of Bonhams)

Original Gemini 133P Trainer Assembly – This five-part electrical system, constructed in 1963, was used to train Gemini astronauts at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. It’s basically an exact duplicate of what the astronauts ended up using in the real-life mission. Pre-auction estimate: $60,000–$90,000. To register a bid on the item, click here.

(Courtesy of Bonhams)

Soyuz 18–Flown Navigational Celestial Globe – Approximately 11.5 cm in diameter, this globe is etched with circles of celestial latitude and longitude, constellation figures, and other navigational information. It was used by cosmonaut Pyotr Klimuk on Soviet space mission Soyuz 18 in 1975. Pre-auction estimate: $30,000–$40,000. To register a bid on the item, click here.