Lot 180
  • 180

[APOLLO 11]. FLOWN APOLLO 11 LUNAR SURFACE CHECKLIST SHEET, PAGE SUR-31/3 WITH LETTER FROM BUZZ ALDRIN

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50,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description

  • THE FINAL STEPS TO ENABLE MEN TO WALK ON THE MOON
FLOWN Apollo 11 LM Lunar Surface Checklist, page SUR-31 / SUR-32, a single sheet having crew activities which enabled Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to step out onto the lunar surface. Printed recto and verso. NASA/MSC, June 16, 1969, revised June 30, 1969. 8 by 5 ½ inches. With a Typed Letter Signed by BUZZ ALDRIN using his personal stationery.

Catalogue Note

Steps listed on this sheet were performed just minutes before Neil Armstrong descended the ladder on Lunar Module Eagle’s front landing strut and became the first man to set foot upon the Moon immortalized with the words: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” These steps involved verifying the space suits were operating properly, testing communication status, setting the needed circuit breakers (C/B) to either open or closed, then turning the television camera power on to enable a viewing audience of some one billion people back on Earth to watch the event live. Most important were the FINAL EVA EQUIPMENT PREP and FINAL SYSTEMS PREP FOR EGRESS. These last 15 steps included getting a “GO” to vent Eagle’s oxygen from the cabin and a last check to insure the space suit equipment was operating properly.

BUZZ ALDRIN's SIGNED provenance letter reads: “Accompanying this letter is a sheet numbered SUR-31 and SUR-32 from the Apollo 11 LM Lunar Surface Checklist, Part No. SKB32100074-363, S/N 1001. The checklist was taken to the Moon on the flight of Apollo 11 during July 16 to 24, 1969. Then the entire checklist, including this sheet, was carried to the surface of the Moon in Lunar Module Eagle during the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. This sheet has the important steps Neil Armstrong and I performed to begin the first Extravehicular Activity (EVA) or moonwalk by men from the planet Earth.

Neil Armstrong made a beautiful lunar landing. The Lunar Module was automatically targeting us into a large boulder-filled crater. He expertly maneuvered Eagle away from that crater and landed with less than 30 seconds of descent engine fuel remaining. After landing, we started the series of procedures as listed in the initial pages of the Lunar Surface Checklist. The pages before page SUR-31 included a series of star sightings to align our navigational equipment to our exact position we now called “Tranquility Base.”

The original timeline called for us to have a four hour rest period before we started the EVA. Needless to say, a rest period was the last thing on our minds. We requested and received concurrence from Mission Control to begin the lunar surface exploration about 6 hours ahead of schedule. Neil and I then started the steps listed on SUR-31 which were part of the checklist section titled: “LM PREP FOR EVA.” Those procedures included steps for “BTH” meaning both Neil and I, “CDR” for Neil to do, or “LMP,” myself to do. At this time, I was finishing work with my RCU or Remote Control Unit and ran test on my PLSS or Portable Life Support System. Neil was also working with his PLSS and setting audio communication levels.

Side SUR-32 has additional PLSS steps plus the “FINAL EVA EQUIPMENT PREP FOR EGRESS.” This part had both Neil and I unstowing and connecting oxygen hose and actuator equipment. Then we had the “FINAL SYSTEMS PREP FOR EGRESS” in which we confirmed a “GO” for cabin depress and verified critical LM and space suit settings. A few minutes from the completion of these steps, Neil Armstrong and I became the first humans to walk on another celestial body.

This sheet has been in my private collection since 1969. I have written on side SUR-31: “Flown to the lunar surface on Apollo XI, Buzz Aldrin” and signed side SUR-31.”