NASA Telescope From 1990s Is On Sale For A Whopping $10 Million

A NASA telescope is on sale for $10 million on Craigslist. If you are a collector with $10 million stashed away, the seller ships the telescope worldwide.

NASA

The history of this telescope

The telescope was aboard NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia that launched in 1990 with four different telescopes, each targeting different astronomical objects.

Of these four, three telescopes detected ultraviolet rays while one observes x-rays. In total, the telescopes made 231 observations about 130 unique space objects, Futurism reported.

Also read: What Does Universe Look Like From Sun? Watch Stunning Video By NASA's Parker Probe

Over time, three of these telescopes were put on display at the National Air and Space Museum. The fourth telescope called Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) was acquired by a collector in 2003 during an action orchestrated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Now, the telescope is waiting to be grabbed on Craigslist, that is if you have $10 million to spare. The listing claims that seller "can ship worldwide (no export restriction) in standard sea container."

NASA

A massive telescope

The BBXRT telescope was earlier bought by collector John Urciolo, also CEO of an aerospace contracting company. The telescope is massive, weighing about 815 kilograms (1800 pounds).

The telescope has spent last 18 years in a shipping container "mounted to a custom-made dolly."

Also read: NASA's Perseverance Rover Finds Organic Chemicals On Mars: Proof Of Life?

Back in the day, it took NASA $40 million to construct the telescope which is now perishing in a container. According to Urciolo's Craigslist post, the BBXRT is the "largest flown space artifact" that is owned by a private individual.

NASA

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Citation

Someone¡¯s Selling a NASA Space Telescope on Craigslist for $10 Million. (2021, December 22). Futurism.