Vienna, March 25 (IANS/EFE) Vienna's Westlicht photography gallery auctioned off a Hasselblad camera used by late Apollo astronaut Jim Irwin on the moon for 660,000 euros (or $827,000) over the weekend.
The camera, the only one to return to Earth from the NASA missions to the moon, was purchased Saturday by Japanese businessman Terukazu Fujisawa, founder of the Yodobashi Camera stores chain.
Irwin (1930-1991) used the camera on the Apollo 15 mission in 1971.
The bidding opened at 80,000 euros (or $110,000) and quickly moved higher.
The camera was used to take 299 photographs on the moon's surface during the Apollo 15 mission.
--IANS/EFE
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