The historic felt-tip pen used for the Apollo 11 lunar mission sold for $857,600.

The historic felt-tip pen that saved Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from being stranded on the moon forever during the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969 has been sold for US$857,600 at a Sotheby's auction in New York. The pen and a broken circuit breaker switch, which were expected to fetch between US$800,000 and US$1.2 million, were auctioned off after a fierce bidding war among five bidders, with the winner purchasing it.

It is noteworthy that both of these historically valuable items belonged to Buzz Aldrin's personal collection.

This remarkable incident occurred when the first two men to walk on the moon were preparing to return to Earth after completing their historic mission. As they were getting ready to sleep after their moonwalk, Aldrin noticed a small switch part lying on the cabin floor. It was later revealed to be a part of the main circuit breaker that supplied power to the lunar module's ascent engine. As Aldrin mentioned in his 2009 autobiography, he believes the switch may have accidentally broken when he bumped it with his heavy backpack.

Although the Mission Control Center on Earth was informed about this crisis, by the next morning, they had not been able to provide an immediate solution or supply power through an alternative route. However, Aldrin realized that the circuit could be activated using a small non-metallic tool. Accordingly, he took a felt-tip pen from his personal kit and carefully inserted its tip into the circuit breaker. His brave and quick decision was successful; the circuit was reactivated, the engine started, and they safely returned to Earth.