posted 06-03-2019 10:19 PM               

One is a letter, dated March 12, 1969, from Julian Scheer, the Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. to George Low at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston expressing his displeasure with Low's asking "...someone outside of NASA to advise you on what the manned lunar landing astronauts might say when they touch down on the Moon's surface. He adds that:

This disturbs me for several reasons. The Agency has solicited from within NASA any suggestions on what materials and artifacts might be carried to the surface of the Moon on that historic first flight but we have not solicited comments on suggestions on what the astronauts might say. Not only do I personally feel that we ought not to coach the astronauts but I feel it would be damaging for the word to get out that we were soliciting comment. The ultimate decision on what the astronauts will carry is vested in a committee set up by the Administrator; the committee will not, nor will the Agency by any other means suggest remarks by the astronauts...

This is the first I have heard of the NASA Administrator setting up a committee to discuss what the astronauts should carry to the lunar surface. Perhaps that's how Neil Armstrong was able to get pieces of the Wright Brothers airplane propeller and fabric to take to the lunar surface.

posted 07-16-2019 09:24 PM               

On the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Launch, Neil Armstrong's Lunar Flown Gold Medal Brings $2+ Million at Heritage Auctions

First of three-day auction event features Part III of The Armstrong Family Collection, July 16-18

Neil Armstrong's personally-owned gold medal, flown to the moon with him on his historic Apollo 11 landing, sold for $2,055,000 million on Tuesday, July 16, at a public auction of rare space memorabilia at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

The solid gold Robbins Medal was a cherished keepsake and the highlight of the beginning of a three-day auction event, which includes Part III of The Armstrong Family Collection. Even the moonwalker's well-loved childhood teddy bear sold for $3,500.

"The response from admirers of Mission Commander Armstrong's contribution to humanity has been simply overwhelming," said Michael Riley, Director of Space Exploration at Heritage Auctions.

Two national treasures Armstrong carried with him to the moon sparked competitive bidding as collectors bid $143,750 for a 1.25-inch swath of muslin cloth from the left wing of the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer and a section of the flyer's propeller ended at $150,000.

The largest American flag flown aboard Apollo 11, directly from Armstrong's collection, sold for $137,500 and a 4-inch by 6-inch silk American flag flown to the moon sold for $65,625.

His personal copy of NASA's "Preliminary Apollo 11 Flight Plan," dated April 24, 1969, and featuring a fascinating, 134-page timeline of crew activities, planned minute by minute for a successful mission, sold for $112,500. His personally owned and worn early Apollo-era flight suit, an ultra-rare piece of early spaceflight memorabilia and one of just a few known to exist, ended at $81,250.

A never-before-seen, internal NASA memo regarding whether to coach Armstrong on what to say during his descent to the lunar surface finally gives the public an understanding of how important the moment would be for humanity. The memo comes from NASA's Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs Julian Sheer, who writes that the space agency should not coach the astronauts because "...the truest emotion at the historic moment is what the explorer feels within himself..." Bidders pushed the sale price to $30,000.

A sleeper lot, a section of camera film leader strip flown aboard the Apollo 11 Lunar Module and used on the surface of the moon sold for $26,250 against a $3,000 pre-auction estimate.

Armstrong's personal collection even included a piece of the Apollo 11 spacecraft itself. A 1.25-inch by 1-inch Ablative Plug, used in the craft's heat shield, sold for $11,875.

Heritage Auctions' presentation of The Armstrong Family Collection Part III continues Wednesday and Thursday, July 17-18, with real-time bidding available on HA.com/Armstrong.

posted 07-17-2019 11:29 AM               

Neil Armstrong's personally-owned gold medal, flown to the moon with him on his historic Apollo 11 landing, sold for $2,055,000 million...