Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

October 23, 2012

Astronaut items being offered at N.H. auction

The Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. – A lunar dust-coated checklist from one astronaut's trip to the moon and handwritten notes by Neil Armstrong are among more than 600 items of space and aviation memorabilia being offered by a New Hampshire auction house.

The spiral-bound, 20-page checklist was worn by Apollo 15 mission commander David Scott in 1971 on the outside of his spacesuit, on his wrist. The book is 3.75 inches by 3.5 inches and comes with an aluminum arm brace with Velcro wristband to hold it in place.

The item is estimated to fetch about $250,000 at the auction, which starts Nov. 21. Such lunar checklists, which give step-by-step instructions on activities planned at the landing site, "are the rarest and most desirable of all flown space memorabilia," said Bobby Livingston, a vice president of RR Auction in Amherst.

"Rarely offered for sale, most cuff checklists reside in museums or in the private space collections of the moonwalkers themselves," Livingston said.

Robert Pearlman, editor of the online publication for space enthusiasts, collectSPACE.com, said Scott's list is of particular historical note, given that it was the first mission to use the lunar roving vehicle.

Armstrong's notes in pencil, written between the mid-1970s to early 1980s, appear to list various items. They include the words "One small step," among the iconic words Armstrong spoke when he became the first man to walk on the moon: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

In this case, though, the words appear to be a reference to a limited edition silkscreen print of his lunar landing by an artist, Sandra Lawrence. Also on his list, Armstrong mentions U.S. Geological Survey lunar surface maps, Russian lunar maps, and a lunar module cockpit panel drawing.

The auction also features a photo autographed by Armstrong caught from NASA's original video transmission of his first steps on the moon on July 20, 1969. The notes are estimated to fetch at least $3,000 and the image about $5,000, but could go for more.

Another item is a photo of the moon's surface with lunar rover tracks autographed in 1972 by astronaut Alan Shepard. Shepard, who golfed on the moon, wrote a note to a golf pro, saying "this trap needs raking." Also featured is a note from Concord High School teacher Christa McAuliffe ordering materials such as booklets and tax forms for a class on understanding taxes. McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, was aboard the spacecraft Challenger when it exploded on liftoff in January 1986.

 

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