The bulk of this collection consists of official NASA black and white photographs. They include a pre-launch image of "Big Joe," which became the first successful unmanned launch in the Mercury program in 1959; the well-known 1960 group portrait of the original Mercury Seven astronauts; and Alan Shepard being raised from the water after the first American manned space flight in 1961. John Glenn is featured in many images, including several taken before his 1962 Friendship 7 flight (the first American manned orbit); a tour for President Kennedy of the Mercury Control Center; and a few of the Glenn family. A group of 9 color photographs are all uncaptioned, with no backmarks. One shows Mercury astronauts Glenn, Grissom and Shepard in their spacesuits circa 1961 (illustrated).

With 12 color photomechanical prints, some from Apollo 10, 11, and 14 (1969-1971), and the others uncaptioned.

This certificate was presented in February 1981 to Edward L. Michel (1926-2007), who spent 30 years with NASA as a physiologist, "in recognition of your outstanding contribution to the manned space flight programs." The flag had flown aboard Apollo 17 in December 1972, commanded by Eugene Cernan, which remains the last manned flight to the moon.