A 500mm Zeiss lens astronaut David Scott used on the Lunar surface during the Apollo 15 mission is to sell at RR Auction.
It's expected to make $400,000-600,000 at the April 21-ending auction.
 The lens is sold with a letter of provenance from astronaut David Scott |
The Apollo 15 mission was executed between July 26 and August 7, 1971 and proved hugely successful.
The astronauts spent three days on the surface of the Moon, travelling a distance of 17 miles in the new Lunar Rover.
Scott took close to 300 photographs using the lens, attached to his Hasselblad camera.
They are among the best known from the history of the US space programme.
A letter from Scott accompanying the lot reads: "After our three days on the Moon, [the lens] was returned to the Command Module in lunar orbit where it was used for two more days to photograph the surface of the Moon.
"After the mission, I received the lens from NASA as a memento of the mission and it has been in my personal collection since that time."
Space flown camera equipment is highly coveted by collectors.
Most only became available after the US government relaxed laws surrounding the sale and ownership of space artefacts in 2012.
In 2014, a Hasselblad camera carried onto the Lunar surface by Apollo 15 astronaut Jim Irwin sold for $910,400.
Check out our selection of space memorabilia for sale here.
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