Interest in space memorabilia soars as shuttle era ends

(USA Today)- The day after the space shuttle Atlantis launched on its final journey, space memorabilia collectors flooded the website of Goldberg's Auctions in Los Angeles for a shot at nabbing a piece of NASA history.

"It's the end of an era," CEO Ira Goldberg says. "These items will become historical treasure pieces."

Since the dawn of the space program in the 1950s, collectors have longed for a physical connection to the cosmos, from astronaut autographs to moon rocks. Now space shuttle relics are surging in price and popularity as NASA's 30-year-old space shuttle program ends with the landing of Atlantis, scheduled for Thursday at Kennedy Space Center. Read more here…