A piece of the Vostok I rocket signed by Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) is among a selection fascinating lots in Auctionata's Soviet Space Memorabilia sale in Berlin on September 13.
One of the technicians acquired the lot, valued at $6,295-7,868, shortly after Gagarin completed the first manned mission into space.
 Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space |
The success of the mission kicked the space race (which began in 1955) into a higher gear as the US scrambled to get its own man beyond the Earth's atmosphere.
It would achieve this feat a month later with the launch of the Mercury Redstone 3, piloted by Alan Shepard, although the rocket failed to complete an orbit of Earth.
Gagarin became an international celebrity on landing back on terra firma. He travelled around the world, receiving a rapturous reception from crowds in both the east and the west.
Sergei Koroiev, head of the Soviet space programme, would famously state that Gagarin possessed a smile "that lit up the Cold War"
A space suit designed for one of the dogs used in the Soviet training programme will also feature in the sale.
We have an extensive selection of space memorabilia available, including this copy of Life magazine signed by the crew of the Apollo 11 mission.
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