Auction ends this Thursday, March 26 at 5pm (PDT).
MarkRP Member
Posts: 184 From: Michigan, USA Registered: Nov 2002
posted 03-23-2026 02:15 PM
Nothing in the note says the flag was flown to the surface of the Moon. It only says "flown to the Moon" which many times means to orbit only. I think it's wrong to list it as flown to the surface when its not specifically stated in the note.
SpaceAholic Member
Posts: 5558 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-23-2026 03:16 PM
The combustion chamber mounted on the display was neither intended for the stated (Mars program) application indicated on the base engraved label plate nor is the affixed chamber 22 newton rated (it is ~400n).
Whoever fabricated the presentation piece made an error for an undetermined reason (somewhere out in someone's attic probably lies the original combustion chamber that should have been attached to the base). The actual AIMPAC-ISP22 with its 2.1 inch nozzle diameter would have been mounted in the correct orientation on the base (not upside down).