Buzz Aldrin’s First-Ever Space Selfie Is for Sale

The axiom that everything’s cooler in space (literally!), means Buzz Aldrin’s 1966 “space selfie” is, de facto, the coolest selfie ever. And while most of we terra-bound meat bags won’t have a shot at taking our own space selfies for some time, one lucky person can purchase Buzz’s iconic picture. If they have thousands and thousands of dollars to burn, that is.

NASA / Buzz Aldrin

Smithsonian Magazine reported on the sale of the first-ever space selfie, which is being auctioned off along with 2,399 other space photos from NASA’s early days. Both Buzz’s selfie and the other photos are a part of the “Voyage to Another World: The Victor Martin-Malburet Photograph Collection.”

NASA / Buzz Aldrin

According to Christie’s, the auction house in charge of the sale, the collection includes pictures of everything from NASA’s creation to the Gemini spaceflight program. All of the photos, which discerning space nerds can peruse here, are rich with sentiment, and inspiration.

NASA / William Anders

Highlights of the collection, among countless others, include photos of the first-ever spacewalk, and the first-ever look at the far side of the Moon. Iconic pieces of history, such as the only shot of Neil Armstrong on the Moon, and the “Earthrise” picture from 1968, are also in the collection.

NASA

As far as pricing, unfortunately, pictures in the collection, like so many exoplanets or Snoop Dogg, are astronomically high. Buzz’s space selfie, for example—which you can still bid on—is likely to sell for around $10,000. And Christie’s says the Earthrise photo (the first one taken by a human, there are a few), is worth $38,000.

NASA

Somewhat incidentally, we checked Buzz’s Instagram and Twitter feeds to see if he commented on the selfie sale. As of this writing, it seems he hasn’t discussed his thoughts on the priceless picture going to the highest bidder. But the former astronaut, engineer, and fighter pilot seems to be focusing on other photos anyway. Ones not worth a penny to anyone but him and his family.

Feature image: NASA / Buzz Aldrin