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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday July 16 2019, @05:38AM   Printer-friendly
from the strapped-for-cash dept.

Now You Can Buy NASA's Own Original Apollo 11 Moon Landing Footage:

Got a player for 2-inch Quadruplex videotapes sitting around? You could view original NASA recordings of the Apollo 11 moon landing in your living room.

Sotheby's is auctioning off three first-generation tapes of the historic touchdown as part of its July 20 auction of space exploration artifacts set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.

The tapes run a total of 2 hours and 24 minutes and capture moments including Neil Armstrong declaring, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Also on the tapes are the "long-distance phone call" with President Richard Nixon and the planting of the American flag on the lunar surface.

[...] Gary George, an engineering student and NASA intern, purchased the tapes for $217.77 at a government surplus auction in 1976. It's estimated they'll sell for at least a $1 million at the Sotheby's event.

I was under the impression that the original tapes had been lost or recorded over. Does anyone else remember hearing that? Either way, this is a irreplaceable national treasure and I am astonished at seeing these up for auction. I am hopeful some philanthropist steps up, buys them, perhaps makes a personal copy, and then donates them to the Library of Congress.


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  • (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday July 16 2019, @01:59PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 16 2019, @01:59PM (#867552) Journal

    And you think a monopoly that wasn't enforced by the government will act less bureacraticky?

    Absolutely. Microsoft and Google are great examples.

    At least to the point in which I can ask back: do you think capitalism can exist without government?

    A lot of its economic activity can be delegated to non-government actors with only a little regulation and law enforcement to ensure they're playing nice.