They are among the most iconic pictures of space travel ever produced.

From the first space walk to Buzz Aldrin on the moon and the first colour picture of the surface of Mars, the images provide a vivid and precious record of man’s early attempts to explore the realm beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Now the pictures – part of the collection belonging to the late spaceflight correspondent Tim Furniss, who worked for Flight International magazine – are up for auction.

Among the pictures on sale is one that shows legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon, casting a shadow on the ground while his gold-plated visor reflects the Lunar Module. Taken by Neil Armstrong – the first human being to walk on the moon – it is set to fetch up to £12,000.

Another is the first taken in space by a human, which shows Ed White on the first spacewalk, floating in zero gravity over Hawaii. The vintage chromogenic print, which is worth an estimated £1,000 to £2,000, was produced by fellow astronaut James McDivitt on June 3, 1965. White can be seen floating out of the spacecraft wearing a specially-designed suit and gold-plated helmet to protect him from the sun’s unfiltered rays, as well as an emergency oxygen tank. A 25-foot long umbilical line and a tether line connect him to the spacecraft.

He also used a hand-held manoeuvring unit (HHMU) to manoeuvre around the ship at an altitude of more than 100 miles (160 kilometres) above the Pacific Ocean. Aside from being a milestone experiment, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for White. He famously returned to his spacecraft commenting: “It’s the saddest moment in my life.”

Also at the auction on Tuesday is an image of the Earth rising above the moon’s horizon, which was taken from Apollo 8 on Christmas Eve, 1968, by astronaut William Anders. Valued at £4,000 to £6,000, it is the first “Earthrise” witnessed by humans and captured in colour on camera. The iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first staffed spacecraft circumnavigated the moon with astronauts William Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell aboard.

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Also included is the first colour photograph taken on the surface of Mars, from 1976, and Blue Marble – the first photograph of the fully illuminated Earth – which was taken from Apollo 17 in 1972. Both are expected to fetch up to £1,500.

A signed picture of Buzz Aldrin on a spacewalk in 1966 could go for £700 and signed images of the crew of Apollo 11, the first craft to land people on the moon, are up for £3,500.

The first blurry pictures of the Earth from space, which were taken in 1959, could also fetch up to £600, auctioneers said.

Mr Furniss’ work established him as one of the top spaceflight journalists of his era. His job at Flight International gave him a front row seat to some of the most significant events in space history, as well as access to celebrated astronauts. He published more than 35 books after being inspired by the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, as a young boy after seeing him on television while out shopping with his grandmother.

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The picture collection, called Space Exploration: Photography & Ephemera, will be presented by auctioneers Dreweatts during today’s online auction.

Dreweatts specialist Ania Hanrahan welcomed the auction and said: “In over 430 lots, the sale unravels the story of human endeavours to discover what lies beyond our home planet – from early rocketry engineering by the forefathers of space exploration to complex interplanetary missions.

“Although today space photography and video footage appear to be a part of our daily news feeds, it was only few decades ago that we had the chance to see what our planet looks like from space for the very first time.

“In those days space photography was a source of awe, wonder and amazement and had the power to change the way we see Earth and our place in space.”