[Early Apollo]

Private Collector employed at Martin Marietta;

Inherited from the above

A RARE IMAGE OF EARLY LAUNCH HISTORY SIGNED BY MORE THAN A DOZEN ASTRONAUTS AND NASA ENGINEERS

Signed by a truly incredible array of historically significant astronauts and NASA personnel, this colorful photolithograph depicts the launch of a Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

• Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee were crew members of Apollo 1, which was meant to be the first crewed Apollo mission, before they lost their lives in a fire during a launch rehearsal test.

• Charles Bassett was a member of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. Bassett participated in the astronaut-training program and was selected to be the pilot of Gemini 9. Unfortunately, he died in a T-38 jet crash prior to the mission.

• Theodore "Ted" Freeman was a member of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963 and was responsible for supporting the development of boosters. He tragically died in a T-38 jet accident caused by a bird strike in 1964 prior to any mission assignment.

• Apollo 7: CMP Donn Eisele and LMP Walter "Walt" Cunningham

• Apollo 8: CMR Frank Borman and LMP William "Bill" Anders. Borman had also served on Gemini 7.

• Apollo 9: LMP Rusty Schweickart

• Apollo 11: LMP Buzz Aldrin and CMP Michael Collins

• Apollo 12: CMP R.F. Gordon, Jr., who also served as a crewmember of Gemini 11.

• Apollo 12: LMP Al Bean, who also served as commander on Skylab 3.

• Apollo 15: LMP Dave Scott, who also served as CMP on Apollo 9 and as a member of the Gemini 8 crew.

• William C. Williams was the NACA project engineer for the X-1 experimental aircraft program, and later the chief engineer at NASA from 1964-1975.

This photolithograph, signed by fifteen astronauts (three of which have walked on the Moon), is an incredible artifact in the human history of spaceflight.