A painting by astronaut Alan Bean that incorporates Moon dust is offered at RR Auction.

The lot shows Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planting the American flag on the lunar surface.

Alan Bean was the fourth man to walk on the Moon

Dust from Bean's mission-worn patches, pressed into the canvas with the boots he wore on the Moon, gives the work an extra dimension that space enthusiasts will find irresistible.

It's expected to sell for in excess of $60,000.

Bean explains the inspiration behind his painting: "At the beginning of John F. Kennedy's presidency the people of the United States of America were in crisis.

"Were our basic beliefs, our way of life the best, or was communism the wave of the future?

"…Our president, John F. Kennedy, could feel the discouragement.

"As leader of the free world he knew our country needed a bold stroke. In 1961 he proclaimed before Congress that America would reach the Moon 'before the decade is out.'"

Another Bean painting, titled John Young Leaps into History, sold for $68,500 at Bonhams in 2012.

A pen that Bean carried with him to the Moon is also featured.

Philatelists are also covered with an Apollo 11 flown insurance cover bearing the August 11, 1969 quarantine cancel.

It's valued at more than $45,000.