The 1967 Chevrolet Corvette once owned by the late Neil Armstrong

(Fox News) – A few months ago it was little more than a curio: a Corvette once
used by Neil Armstrong being auctioned on Ebay. But with the passing of the
American hero on August 25th there’s new interest in this very unique piece
of history.

The now derelict 1967 coupe was driven by the first man on the Moon for a year
through a special leasing program offered to astronauts by Melbourne, Florida, Chevrolet dealer Jim Rathman. Upon its return, the blue ‘Vette was purchased
by an employee at the dealership but was left unused in a garage since 1981
before being bought by its current owner, Joe Crosby of Merritt Island, Florida,
in February of this year.

The Corvette failed to sell during the Ebay auction in May, with a high bid of
$251,638.00 coming just short of the unpublished reserve, according to Crosby
who says he received calls from three of the bidders within an hour of the
announcement of Armstrong’s death, but that the offers still aren’t quite where
he wants them. Crosby hasn’t raised his original target price, despite the
newfound significance of the car.

Crosby isn’t planning to put it back on Ebay, but he’s listed in the phonebook
and ready to listen to any serious offers.

Neil Armstrong

Mariner 2 was the first successful spacecraft in the NASA Mariner program and
the first space probe to conduct a successful planetary encounter. It passed
within 22,000 miles of Venus on December 14, 1962.The spacecraft was
designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute
of Technology.

President Kennedy (far right) is presented with a model of Mariner 2

Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis in the Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974)

       Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012)

CINCINNATI (AP) – Neil Armstrong was a quiet, self-described "nerdy"
engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved U.S. pilot
he made "one giant leap for mankind" with the first step on the moon.

The modest man who entranced and awed people on Earth has died.

Armstrong died Saturday following complications resulting from
cardiovascular procedures, a statement from his family said. It didn’t
say where he died.

Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the
moon July 20, 1969, capping the most daring of the 20th century’s
scientific expeditions. His first words after setting foot on the surface
are etched in history books and in the memories of those who heard
them in a live broadcast.