LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 MAR Grand Format Air & Space Sale #6000  / 

58174

Apollo 14 CM Flown Back-Up Crew Mission Patch

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,950.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
Apollo 14 CM Flown Back-Up Crew Mission Patch
<B>Apollo 14 Command Module Flown Back-Up Crew Mission Patch.</B></I> A 4.25" x 3.75" oval patch mounted to a printed parchment paper certificate of 13.5" x 10.5" (sight size) that reads, <BR><center>THIS PATCH RELUCTANTLY CARRIED<BR>TO THE MOON ON APOLLO 14<BR>to<BR>Deke Slayton<BR>from<BR>THE FIRST TEAM</center><BR>Beneath are the names and original signatures of all three members of the backup crew for Apollo 14- Gene Cernan, Ron Evans, and Joe Engle. Framed to an overall 16.25" x 13.25".<BR><BR>The official insignia for this flight showed a gold astronaut pin traveling from the Earth to the moon with "Apollo 14" above and "Shepard - Roosa - Mitchell" below. The backup crew spoofed the patch with its own revised version with artwork showing the Road Runner cartoon character on the moon, holding a U.S. flag and a flag labeled "1st Team," as a gray-bearded (for Shepard, who was 47), pot bellied (for Mitchell who was pudgy), red furred (for Roosa's red hair) Wile E. Coyote flies from Earth. "BEEP BEEP" replaces the flight name above and the backup crew's names are below. Before the launch, the backup crew had complete access to the spacecraft. While setting switches and checking gauges, they stuffed every available nook and cranny with these "gotcha" patches. As Gene Cernan wrote in his book, <I>The Last Man on the Moon</B></I>, "...All the way to the moon and back, even on the lunar surface, whenever the crew opened a box, bag, or locker, out would float a First Team mission patch... Perhaps the most repeated phrase on the private radio loop during the flight of Apollo 14 was Shepard's annoyance when still another patch would suddenly appear. 'Tell Cernan,' he growled, 'Beep-Beep, his ass'..." A great opportunity to own one of these (in)famous Apollo 14 flown patches as well as three important autographs.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Framed - without Glass, Medium (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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