Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 training jacket was expected to fetch up to $1.2 million at an auction, but failed to sell – who is the current owner?

Despite generating a great deal of media buzz, the Titusville-based American Space Museum's Oct. 17 charity memorabilia auction did not attract many bidders. In fact, renowned NASA astronaut and the first man to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 training flight suit failed to sell at the auction. Armstrong's custom-sewn jacket was expected to sell for up to $1.2 million, and his matching white trousers had been projected to fetch between $50,000 and $75,000. The apparel had been worn by Armstrong on Earth.

'It is what it is'

In a disappointing turn of events, the online auction and its 395 lots saw just over 100 participants, Charles Jeffrey, the auctioneer and owner of Bid Again Auctions of Orlando, said, according to Florida Today. The American Space Museum's charitable auctions usually see somewhere between 300 and 500 bidders, according to Jeffrey.


"Almost none of the high-end items sold. A lot of the normal stuff we sell didn't sell," Jeffrey said, as per the publication. "It is what it is. It was depressing in every sense of the word."

The owner of the jacket

Armstrong's jacket is owned by a 95-year-old Alabama man who worked at ILC Dover, the main spacesuit maker for NASA, Jeffrey revealed on a webcast earlier this month. While he did not unveil the highest bid for the suit, Jeffrey said the amount "wasn't even in the realm of rational reality."

NASA produced only three inflight coverall jackets for Armstrong for Apollo 11 training, according to Jeffrey. One of them is stored at the Smithsonian at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

"I appreciate the opportunity. It didn't work out, but it brought some great attention to the museum and a very good cause," Jeffrey, who is also an American Space Museum board member, said.

Though the jacket failed to find a buyer, museum director Mark Marquette said: "We couldn't buy the amount of publicity that we generated." The museum said both the garments are expected to feature in another auction soon.

The first man on moon

Neil Armstrong was the commander of the Apollo 11 mission and the first person to set foot on the surface on the Moon. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and NASA Distinguished Service Medal, alongside other recognitions.

He later taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Armstrong died at the age of 82 in 2012.