posted 05-30-2016 12:20 PM               

I have started a Kickstarter campaign to offset the costs of framing the 1960s art depicting life aboard the top-secret Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL). The campaign ends June 29.

The art consists of nearly three dozen acrylic paintings by Neil Jacobe for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Co., the prime contractor for MOL. I bought them from the estate of a McDonnell Douglas retiree a few years ago and have shown them locally twice so far.

MOL was a joint Air Force-National Reconnaissance Office program for manned spy satellite during the Cold War, eventually displaced by unmanned spy satellites that could do the same task faster and cheaper. A good summary of the program (but not the paintings) was done on NOVA on PBS about eight years ago.

Once framed, the art will be available for more public displays without so much risk to the 50-year-old paintings themselves. In addition to the paintings, I will always offer to give my one-hour MOL lecture (that's my favorite part).

Next tentative public display date is in the Seabrook (Texas) Library possibly as early as August.

Of course, Kathy and I won't profit from the art — just trying not to go any further into debt over it than we already are.