Moonwalk Recordings Offer Giant Returns for Former NASA Intern

  • Tapes bought for $217.77 are worth up to $2 million: Sotheby’s
  • Footage is sharper, more distinct than television broadcasts

Neil Armstrong working on his space craft on the lunar surface, 1969. 

Photographer: NASA/Hulton Archive
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For a former NASA intern, a recording of the lunar landing 50 years ago could yield a giant leap of a return for his investment.

Gary George found the original videotapes capturing the Apollo 11 lunar landing at a government surplus auction while working at the NASA Johnson Space Center in 1973, according to Sotheby’s. He paid $217.77 for the 1,150 reels of magnetic tape with 2 hours and 24 minutes of recording. They include Neil Armstrong’s declaration, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”