Armstrong signed the photo, which depicts him just before he took the "giant leap for mankind" that made him famous. The presale estimate was $15,000.

The family of Richard Windmiller Sr., the onetime of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration photo department, had owned the photo.

The photo was a still shot from the original video transmission of Armstrong's descent down the ladder of the Apollo 11 lunar module. A camera mounted on the spacecraft captured the moment and many afterward. Armstrong later signed the still, which was developed in a photo lab when the crew returned. He signed five stills in all.

Photos of Armstrong on the Moon are relatively rare, primarily because he was the mission's official photographer. Some of the most famous photos from the Apollo 11 mission are of his lunar module crewmate, Buzz Aldrin.

Also sold at the same auction were other Apollo 11 memorabilia, including the following:

• A 70mm positive film with 126 images taken by the mission's Hasselblad camera sold for$14,467.
• An American flag, signed and certified by Command Module pilot Michael Collins, sold for $20,803.

Boston-based RR Auction was the facilitator. The weeklong auction included more than 400 items associated with the iconic Apollo 11 mission, including a signed Aldrin autograph, various medals and manuals, and orbit charts.