Document Sold At Auction In November By James Lovell

When the checklist from the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission went up for auction last November, it sold for $388,000 dollars ... about 15 times more than its list price. Astronaut Jim Lovell, who made handwritten notes and calculations on the document as they strove to get safely back to Earth, had put the item up for sale.

James Lovell NASA Image

But now, NASA has raised questions as to whether Lovell had title to the ring-bound checklist, and the sale has been suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry.

At the time, Heritage Auctions president Greg Rohan said Lovell had produced an affidavit proving he owned the book, which is standard procedure. But the Associated Press reports that NASA's chief counsel Donna Shafer e-mailed the auction house, saying there was "nothing to indicate" that the agency had transferred ownership of the checklist to the astronaut. "Only NASA has the authority to clear NASA property for sale," she said.

Ownership of two other items sold at auction from Apollo 9 has also been questioned. NASA had also sued Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell for the return of a camera which went to the moon. He eventually returned it, and it was donated to the National Air and Space Museum.

For now, the checklist is in a vault at Heritage Auctions pending the outcome of the litigation.

FMI: www.nasa.gov