On February 20, a gala will be taking place in California in aid of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Edgar Mitchell, the group's founder, will be present to give a speech on his spiritual epiphany around the time of the mission.

The organisation, which focuses on research with the aim of 'healing societies', aims to promote alternative medicine and various spiritual research and education projects.

Tickets to the event cost $250 and include dinner, live auction, and narrated media and laser show in the Chabot Center's planetarium.

Whilst the full details of this auction are not given, an extremely exciting item is being offered at the event.

A flag flown to the moon with Apollo 14's Edgar Mitchell, the sixth of only 12 men to walk on the moon will be offered for sale in a silent auction to raise funds for the charity.

Apollo 14 is probably best remembered for Alan Shepard cheerfully hitting golf balls off the lunar surface. Meanwhile the command pilot Stuart Roosa was orbiting the moon carrying seeds which were later germinated on Earth as 'Moon trees'.

Flags flown in space can be very valuable. A large Apollo 10 flag sold for $19,520 last year. Likewise, memorabilia associated with Mitchell can be highly collectible with a photograph signed by him amongst a number of other astronauts (though none of the Apollo XI crew) brought $20,000.

However, an excellent set of all Moonwalkers' signatures, including Mitchell's, is currently available online for significantly less than this.

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Image: Bonhams