Moon Dust Scoop, Astronauts' Lunar Maps in Heritage Space Memorabilia Auction Historic Air & Space Exploration Items from Cernan, Mitchell, Duke and Others to be Offered by Heritage
News-Antique.com - Mar 23,2008 - DALLAS, TEXAS: A foot-long aluminum scoop used by astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell to pick up moon dust on the 1971 Apollo 14 mission is estimated to sell for a quarter-million dollars in a public auction to be conducted by Heritage Auction Galleries ( www.HA.com) in Dallas, Texas and online on March 25, 2008. The air and space memorabilia auction also features lunar maps and charts used in the Apollo 12 and 17 moon missions, and other historic, space-flown and moon-used items obtained directly from astronauts and their families.
"Our first auction of Air & Space material, held in September of 2007, was a resounding success," said Tom Slater, Director of Americana auctions for Heritage, "and we're excited to present this second event. More than 100 lots in this auction come from the personal collection of such renowned space pioneers as Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan, Alan Bean, Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Charles M. Duke, Richard F. Gordon, and Paul Weitz. These pieces have impeccable provenance, having been obtained from the very people that used them on some of NASA's most historic missions, and include signed Certificates of Authenticity from the astronauts themselves, some of them handwritten."
"To celebrate this exciting auction," Slater said, we'll be holding a reception and lot preview on March 24 from 7 pm until 9 pm at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas." Attending the reception will be a number of well-known astronauts and their spouses, including:
· Captain Eugene Cernan (Gemini 9A co-pilot, Apollo 10 Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 17 Commander, moonwalker),
· Walter Cunningham (Apollo 7 Lunar Module Pilot),
· Charles Duke Jr. (Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot, moonwalker),
· Richard Gordon (Gemini 11 Pilot, Apollo 12 Command Module Pilot),
· Dr. Joseph Kerwin (Skylab 2 Science Pilot),
· Jack Lousma (Skylab 3 Pilot, STS-3 Commander), and
· Dr. Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot, moonwalker).
More details on the reception can be found at http://historical.ha.com/space_articles/?article=space_invite
"This is an exceptional opportunity," said Slater, "not only to meet these brave explorers, but to see, and then bid on, these important and historical items. When one considers the relatively few occasions on which man has 'slipped the surly bonds of earth,' and ventured into space, and then realizes just how few actual objects have been off-planet, it's amazing to think that any of us would have the opportunity to actually own one of these incredibly rare pieces. For anyone interested in the bold spirit of exploration that has, in many ways, driven human history, this is an event you will certainly not want to miss."
Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Air & Space Auction will be held on March 25, 2008 at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.HA.com.
Highlights of the auction include:
From the Gene Cernan Collection:
Apollo 10 Complete Lunar Module Flown Rendezvous Checklist with Original Signed Snoopy Sketch by Charles Schulz:
