Space Exploration

[Moonwalkers]

The paths forged by the first six Moonwalkers, signed and inscribed by Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, and Edgar Mitchell

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Auction Closed

July 15, 04:56 PM GMT

Estimate

8,000 - 12,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

[Moonwalkers]

The Paths Forged by the First Six Moonwalkers, Signed and Inscribed by the Lunar Module Pilots from Each of the Three Missions to the Lunar Surface.

Apollo 11, 12, and 14 Traverses. Lithograph printed in green and black with a detailed legend, 29 x 21 inches. Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and published by the Defense Mapping Agency for NASA. Scales vary from 1:250 for Apollo 11, 1:2,500 for Apollo 12, and 1:4,000 for Apollo 14. Traverses are plotted with either white arrows or black continuous arrowed lines. Areas of extensive lunar sample collections are marked with small circles. SIGNED and INSCRIBED by BUZZ ALDRIN in BLUE ink: “First Lunar Landing/ and Moon Walk,/ July 20-21, 1969, / BUZZ ALDRIN.” SIGNED and INSCRIBED by ALAN BEAN in BLUE ink: “Pete & I ran all / around this small area / of the Ocean of Storms/ on November 19 & 20 of /1969./ ALAN BEAN,/ Apollo XII.” SIGNED and INSCRIBED in by EDGAR MITCHELL in BLUE ink: “The longest "Moon walk" / during the Apollo Program./ EDGAR MITCHELL, / Apollo 14, Feb. 1971.”

AN EXTRAORDINARY CHRONICLE OF HUMANITY'S FIRST PATHS ON ANOTHER WORLD, SIGNED BY THREE OF THE FIRST MOONWALKERS.

The present lot offers a detailed look into the trails forged by the first three crews to explore the lunar surface, well beyond the "one small step" Neil Armstrong took in July 1969. Extensive details of the lunar surface are illustrated at all three landing areas.

Apollo 11

On their historic mission, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin explored within 200 feet of Eagle. The U.S. flag, each piece of equipment. and experiments' surface locations are noted. Also visible is Little West Crater, which was the last obstacle Armstrong had to fly over before landing.

Apollo 12

The Apollo 12 traverses show the increased distance covered during the second lunar landing. Charles "Pete" Conrad and Alan Bean traveled roughly 1,300 feet away from their Lunar Module Intrepid during two different extravehicular activities (EVAs). They visited the Surveyor 3 uncrewed spacecraft and removed parts for analysis.

Apollo 14

As Edgar Mitchell inscribed on the chart, the longest moonwalk of the Apollo program was performed by the Apollo 14 crew. During their second EVA, Commander Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell traveled almost 1 mile from their Lunar Module Antares up the flank of Cone Crater. Numerous boulders and steep slopes made the journey extremely difficult to reach the crater rim with their Modular Equipment Transporter (MET), their hand-pulled cart of equipment and geological samples. Time limitations forced them to stop short of the rim, so they began gathering numerous rock samples and photographs of the rugged terrain that surrounded them.

Altogether, the progressively extending paths noted here alongside inscriptions of the men who made those steps offer a unique look at the human side of exploring the Moon.