NASA Apollo 16 mission item hits auction market, expected to go for nearly $750K

article

A shovel spoon from NASA's Apollo 16 mission has hit the buyer's market. (RR Auction / Fox News)

A key tool used in the successful Apollo 16 mission is up for grabs in a new auction.

The moon scoop that successfully collected samples of rock from the moon in 1972 can finally be yours.

Boston-based RR Auction has listed the moon scoop from the Apollo 16 mission with a current highest bid of over $60,000.

BUZZ ALDRIN'S MOON-FLOWN APOLLO 11 JACKET SELLS FOR RECORD $2.8M

The scoop was used by NASA lunar module pilot (LMP) Charles Duke and commander John Young during their 11-day trip to the moon, according to RR Auction.

The scoop was used to help NASA lunar module pilot Charles Duke and commander John Young bring back over 200 pounds of moon sediment. (RR Auction / Fox News)

The men used the scoop to collect over 200 pounds of rock sample, which was successfully brought back to Earth.

BIDING FOR BLUE ORIGIN'S FIRST HUMAN FLIGHT HITS $4M

RR Auction said in the auction listing that the scoop was used by Duke to support himself while he was collecting lunar samples on the moon.

Duke spoke with RR Auction about the mission — and how he used the scoop to his advantage.

"I had to pick up a rock that was probably the size of a watermelon, and I could not pick it up with one hand," he said.

The scoop used on the Apollo 16 mission is now up for auction. (RR Auction / Fox News)

Expand

"So, I put the shovel down and leaned toward it, and rolled this rock up my side with my right hand and was able to roll it up my left and cradle it like a little baby."

BLACK DIAMOND BELIEVED TO BE FROM OUTER SPACE COULD FETCH $6.8M AT AUCTION: ‘EXCEPTIONALLY RARE’

He also mentioned the scoop was used to collect the "rare" sample called "Shadow Rock."

RR Auction executive vice president Bobby Livingston told Fox News Digital that this scoop is "one of the most important items ever returned from the lunar surface."

"That shovel not only spent all that time on the lunar surface, but it also spent time three feet inside the lunar surface — which makes it an exceptional collectible," he noted.

The scoop up for grabs is 13.75" by 4.5" by 2" and has two large, spring-loaded buttons that enable the scoop’s head to rotate, according to RR Auction.