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Space

Take the helm of a real Apollo moon lander

By Jacob Aron

8 May 2014

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

(Image: RR Auction)

Want to try your hand at landing on the moon? This joystick is a good place to start. Astronaut Dave Scott used it to steer the Falcon lunar module to the moon’s surface during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971. Now it is up for sale as part of an aviation and space auction by Boston-based RR Auction.

Scott had to take manual control of Falcon when it veered almost a kilometre off course from the planned landing site on the moon. He piloted Falcon to a safe touchdown with the joystick, which was also used in the ascent back to orbit.

Bidding on the joystick starts at $10,000 – if you can’t stretch that far, a number of other Apollo-related items are for sale, including a glove worn by Buzz Aldrin in Apollo 11 and an electrical schematic of the lunar rover buggy.

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