Stargazers will have the opportunity to get their hands on photos, charts, models and other space race relics from NASA missions thanks to an auction to commemorate the Apollo 11 moon mission
This steel, fiberglass and plastic model is a miniaturized replica of the Mercury spacecraft, identical to the one NASA first unveiled during the April 9, 1959, press conference held to introduce the original seven Project Mercury astronauts (chosen from a pool of more than 500 candidates)....[More]
MERCURY CAPSULE MODEL
This steel, fiberglass and plastic model is a miniaturized replica of the Mercury spacecraft, identical to the one NASA first unveiled during the April 9, 1959, press conference held to introduce the original seven Project Mercury astronauts (chosen from a pool of more than 500 candidates). The model—which includes the gray conical space capsule where the astronaut sat, the cylindrical recovery compartment (holding the landing parachutes and other equipment), and the emergency escape rocket tower—stands 81.3 centimeters tall when fully assembled.
This 2.5-centimeter cube is a piece of the heat shield from astronaut Gordon Cooper 's Mercury capsule, Faith 7 , flown during his May 1963 mission ....[More]
MERCURY–ATLAS 9 HEAT SHIELD SEGMENT
This 2.5-centimeter cube is a piece of the heat shield from astronaut Gordon Cooper's Mercury capsule, Faith 7, flown during his May 1963 mission. Cooper's 22-orbit flight lasted more than 34 hours—the longest, and final, flight of the Mercury Program.
FISHER "SPACE PEN" CARRIED ON AND USED DURING APOLLO 7
NASA in 1965 spent $4,382.50 to buy 34 mechanical pencils (that's $128.89 per pencil) from Houston's Tycam Engineering Manufacturing, Inc., sparking an outcry when these prices became public ....[More]
FISHER "SPACE PEN" CARRIED ON AND USED DURING APOLLO 7
NASA in 1965 spent $4,382.50 to buy 34 mechanical pencils (that's $128.89 per pencil) from Houston's Tycam Engineering Manufacturing, Inc., sparking an outcry when these prices became public. That same year, the Fisher Pen Company offered its AG-7 "Anti-Gravity" Space Pen to NASA. After testing the space pen, which was developed on Fisher's dime rather than taxpayer money, NASA decided to use it on spaceflights beginning in 1967. Unlike most ballpoint pens, Fisher's pen relies on a nitrogen-pressurized cartridge, rather than gravity, to get the ink flowing. The cost back then: less than $4 per pen.
Made primarily from the synthetic rubber neoprene and lightweight "ripstop" nylon , this life raft was part of the Mercury survival equipment, designed for use after an aborted launch or emergency landing following a spaceflight....[More]
MERCURY LIFE RAFT
Made primarily from the synthetic rubber neoprene and lightweight "ripstop" nylon, this life raft was part of the Mercury survival equipment, designed for use after an aborted launch or emergency landing following a spaceflight. A raft of this design was actually used after astronaut Scott Carpenter's May 1962 Aurora 7 flight. Because of an attitude misalignment and the misfiring of his retro-rockets to return to Earth, his capsule landed some 400 kilometers farther downrange than planned, causing him to have to wait in the raft for almost three hours until a helicopter could get to his location to pluck him out of the ocean.
The Apollo astronauts' A7L spacesuits consisted of an inner pressure garment assembly (PGA) pressurized with oxygen for breathing, and an outer integrated thermal micrometeoroid garment (I/TMG) that protected the astronaut from temperature extremes and hypervelocity micrometeoroid punctures while on the lunar surface....[More]
ARMSTRONG'S APOLLO SPACESUIT CONNECTOR COVER
The Apollo astronauts' A7L spacesuits consisted of an inner pressure garment assembly (PGA) pressurized with oxygen for breathing, and an outer integrated thermal micrometeoroid garment (I/TMG) that protected the astronaut from temperature extremes and hypervelocity micrometeoroid punctures while on the lunar surface. The suits also had connectors on the front torso area for the primary and backup oxygen supply, electrical supply, and water to cool the suit. Connector covers such as this protected these openings during training exercises and while the suit was not in use between training periods or during flight stowage.
Moon rocks were placed in an aluminum storage box that was vacuum sealed on the lunar surface. The crew then placed the box inside the container covers like this for the journey back to Earth to prevent moon dust from spreading inside the lunar and command modules....[More]
LUNAR ROCK BOX COVER
Moon rocks were placed in an aluminum storage box that was vacuum sealed on the lunar surface. The crew then placed the box inside the container covers like this for the journey back to Earth to prevent moon dust from spreading inside the lunar and command modules.
This eight-by-10, black-and-white photograph captures the Apollo 11 crew in the quarantine facility (actually an Airstream trailer ) on the U.S.S....[More]
HOME AGAIN
This eight-by-10, black-and-white photograph captures the Apollo 11 crew in the quarantine facility (actually an Airstream trailer) on the U.S.S. Hornettalking to President Richard Nixon. Nixon had flown to the central Pacific recovery area to welcome commander Neil Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins, and lunar module pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin when they splashed down on July 24, 1969. The astronauts were held in quarantine on board the Hornet and later in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory at NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center for a total of about three weeks as a precaution against spreading any pathogens potentially encountered on the moon.
APOLLO 12 LM STRAP WITH LUNAR DUST–USED INSIDE INTREPID ON THE MOON
Flown on the Apollo 12 lunar module Intrepid , this 25.4-centimeter-long strap was used to secure lunar exploration equipment. During this mission, commander Charles Conrad and lunar module pilot Alan Bean logged more than 31 hours on the moon's surface during November 19 to 20, 1969....[More]
APOLLO 12 LM STRAP WITH LUNAR DUST–USED INSIDE INTREPID ON THE MOON
Flown on the Apollo 12 lunar module Intrepid, this 25.4-centimeter-long strap was used to secure lunar exploration equipment. During this mission, commander Charles Conrad and lunar module pilot Alan Bean logged more than 31 hours on the moon's surface during November 19 to 20, 1969.
This eight-inch-square emblem accompanied astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise during their ill-fated mission , which was supposed to take them to a landing it the moon's Fra Mauro formation in April 1970....[More]
EMBLEM CARRIED ON APOLLO 13
This eight-inch-square emblem accompanied astronauts James Lovell, John Swigert and Fred Haise during their ill-fated mission, which was supposed to take them to a landing it the moon's Fra Mauro formation in April 1970. Instead, an oxygen-tank explosion in the service module while en route to the moon crippled the spacecraft and forced them to take emergency measures. They circled the moon without landing and used their lunar lander as a "lifeboat" to help them maintain life support during the journey back to Earth.
This packet of dehydrated cocoa drink was carried during the Apollo 13 mission but not consumed. Several food items were never eaten during the flight because of the oxygen tank explosion in the service module, which, among other things, caused an electrical power loss to the command module....[More]
DRINK CARRIED ON APOLLO 13
This packet of dehydrated cocoa drink was carried during the Apollo 13 mission but not consumed. Several food items were never eaten during the flight because of the oxygen tank explosion in the service module, which, among other things, caused an electrical power loss to the command module. That power loss, besides being life threatening, eliminated the ability to supply and heat water for food rehydration.
This eight-inch-long camera lens dust brush was used on the lunar surface by the Apollo 14 crew on their two missions outside the lunar module....[More]
APOLLO 14 DUST BRUSH USED ON THE LUNAR SURFACE
This eight-inch-long camera lens dust brush was used on the lunar surface by the Apollo 14 crew on their two missions outside the lunar module.
This 38.1-by-40.6-centimeter, 2.5-centimeter-thick silica glass with a red outer seal served as a window on the Apollo 14 command module. It was exposed to the vacuum of space for more than 215 hours during the entire Apollo 14 flight—to and from the moon, in lunar orbit, and through the fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere—a total distance of more than 804,672 kilometers....[More]
APOLLO 14 COMMAND MODULE WINDOW
This 38.1-by-40.6-centimeter, 2.5-centimeter-thick silica glass with a red outer seal served as a window on the Apollo 14 command module. It was exposed to the vacuum of space for more than 215 hours during the entire Apollo 14 flight—to and from the moon, in lunar orbit, and through the fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere—a total distance of more than 804,672 kilometers.
ATTITUDE CONTROLLER ASSEMBLY FROM THE APOLLO 15 LUNAR MODULE FALCON
This controller assembly is an actual piece of flight control equipment that assisted the landing of the first extended-duration lunar exploration flight of the Apollo Program....[More]
ATTITUDE CONTROLLER ASSEMBLY FROM THE APOLLO 15 LUNAR MODULE FALCON
This controller assembly is an actual piece of flight control equipment that assisted the landing of the first extended-duration lunar exploration flight of the Apollo Program. It allowed the astronaut to input pitch, roll and yaw maneuvers by moving the hand grip forward and backward, side to side or with a twisting action. Both lunar module crew members had a controller located on his right-hand side and available for use as part of the lunar module's overall safety redundancy design. The assembly would be used during undocking from the command module prior to the lunar landing, setting and maintaining the proper orientation during the long engine burn to during descent to a lunar landing, attitude control during the ascent from the surface as well as during rendezvous and redocking with the command module.
This bag stored several 70-millimeter and 16-millimeter film magazines for photography outside the lunar module during surface explorations. (The Apollo 15 mission included three such explorations lasting about seven hours each.)
This bag stored several 70-millimeter and 16-millimeter film magazines for photography outside the lunar module during surface explorations. (The Apollo 15 mission included three such explorations lasting about seven hours each.)
APOLLO 16 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY SPACESUIT CUFF CHECKLIST
Lunar module pilot Charles Duke wore this spiral-bound checklist on the cuff of his spacesuit during the second and third lunar surface explorations of the 1972 Apollo 16 mission....[More]
APOLLO 16 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY SPACESUIT CUFF CHECKLIST
Lunar module pilot Charles Duke wore this spiral-bound checklist on the cuff of his spacesuit during the second and third lunar surface explorations of the 1972 Apollo 16 mission. It was exposed directly to the lunar environment for more than 12 hours during those exploration periods. In order to make certain the astronauts did not overlook planned tasks, the checklists were created to provide a detailed script of each task or activity. Whereas the cover of this checklist features a black-and-white Apollo 16 crew emblem, on one of the inside pages it features a spacesuited astronaut in the arms of a buxom nude woman. Gags such as this were typically orchestrated by backup and support crew members.
This chart is autographed by six Apollo astronauts— Buzz Aldrin , Alan Bean , Edgar Mitchell , Dave Scott , Charles Duke and Gene Cernan —who also marked their landing areas on it....[More]
This model of an expendable booster space shuttle, designed by Grumman and Boeing, stands 48.3 centimeters tall. It includes a lower booster stage with seven engine ports at the base and two fin-type stabilizers....[More]
GRUMMAN--BOEING SHUTTLE PROTOTYPE
This model of an expendable booster space shuttle, designed by Grumman and Boeing, stands 48.3 centimeters tall. It includes a lower booster stage with seven engine ports at the base and two fin-type stabilizers. An upper stage serves as an external fuel tank to supply the attached orbiter's four rocket engines. The orbiter itself has a delta-wing configuration and two maneuvering engine pods at the aft end of the fuselage as well as reaction-control engine pods near each wingtip and atop the vertical stabilizer.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engines provided attitude and maneuvering control for the Gemini spacecraft, including pitch, roll and yaw. A set of eight of these bipropellant engines—they burned liquid hydrogen and oxygen—were located in the equipment section aft of the crew compartment, which was part of the orbit attitude and maneuver system (OAMS) ....[More]
GEMINI SPACECRAFT ROCKET ENGINES
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engines provided attitude and maneuvering control for the Gemini spacecraft, including pitch, roll and yaw. A set of eight of these bipropellant engines—they burned liquid hydrogen and oxygen—were located in the equipment section aft of the crew compartment, which was part of the orbit attitude and maneuver system (OAMS). Sixteen more of these model SE-6 engines made up the reentry control system (RCS) in the nose of the Gemini spacecraft. These engines each produced around 11 kilograms of thrust. Each engine assembly consisted of a fuel and oxidizer valve with injection systems, a combustion chamber, and expansion nozzle. The SE-6 engines on astronaut Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford's Gemini 6 spacecraft helped them perform with Gemini 7, also in orbit, the world's first manned space rendezvous in December 1965.
Made by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., the lead NASA center for the development of the heavy-lift Saturn 5 rocket that propelled humankind to the moon, this model stands 122 centimeters tall....[More]
SATURN 5 MODEL
Made by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., the lead NASA center for the development of the heavy-lift Saturn 5 rocket that propelled humankind to the moon, this model stands 122 centimeters tall. Nine Apollo crews traveled to the moon powered on its five massive first-stage F-1 engines, each delivering 680,390 kilograms of thrust, along with six J-2 engines, each producing 102,060 kilograms. (Six two-man lunar excursion module (LM) crews would actually land on the moon.) In 1973 the Saturn's first and second stages lobbed the Skylab space station, made from Saturn's third stage, into Earth orbit.
NASA used these Marquardt Corp. rocket engines (weighing 45 kilograms each) for attitude control. There were 16 of these reaction-control engines clustered in groups of four on the Apollo service module as well as 16 on the lunar lander ascent stage in the same cluster configuration....[More]
APOLLO REACTION-CONTROL ROCKET ENGINE
NASA used these Marquardt Corp. rocket engines (weighing 45 kilograms each) for attitude control. There were 16 of these reaction-control engines clustered in groups of four on the Apollo service module as well as 16 on the lunar lander ascent stage in the same cluster configuration.
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My first thought was, wouldn't it be cool to have a bit of Apollo? My second thought - isn't all this stuff U.S. Government property, paid for by the taxpayer? How have these items come to be available for sale? (Or, is this a creative way to reduce the national debt?)
Hey there. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, I organized a feature week on space memorabilia . I invited collectors to displayed their prized space collections. Check it out here http://www.collectorsquest.com/featured-week/Space.html
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Add CommentMy first thought was, wouldn't it be cool to have a bit of Apollo? My second thought - isn't all this stuff U.S. Government property, paid for by the taxpayer? How have these items come to be available for sale? (Or, is this a creative way to reduce the national debt?)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHey there. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, I organized a feature week on space memorabilia . I invited collectors to displayed their prized space collections. Check it out here http://www.collectorsquest.com/featured-week/Space.html
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