Soviet spacesuit auctioned for €112 000

A spacesuit used for Soviet spacewalks in the 1980s was auctioned in Paris for €112 484, the sale organisers said on Wednesday.

Other Soviet-era space memorabilia that found buyers on Tuesday were a launch key from a Soyuz capsule, a capsule heat shield, Soviet propaganda posters and items from the Buran -- a rival to the US space shuttle that carried out only a single, unmanned flight in 1988 before the programme was scrapped.

The Orlan D spacesuit "was bought over the Internet by a European collector", said a spokeswoman for auctioneers Cornette de Saint Cyr.

The name of the cosmonaut or cosmonauts who used the suit was unknown, she said. The item had been valued at €100,000-€120,000.