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

58027

Apollo 14 LM Flown Lunar Scoop Used on the Moon

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:130,000.00 USD Estimated At:250,000.00 - 300,000.00 USD
Apollo 14 LM Flown Lunar Scoop Used on the Moon
<B>Apollo 14 Lunar Module Flown Lunar Scoop Used on the Surface of the Moon</B></I> by Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell during their two lunar EVAs and presented to Gene Cernan by Shepard. An aluminum scoop of 13.25" in length total, the handle portion is 8.5". There are various NASA numbers etched into the item: on the handle is found the part number "SEB39100311-201"; on the rounded piece attached to the end of the scoop is found "SDB39100324-001"; the bottom area of the scoop has the part number for the unit as a whole, "SEB39100310-202" and a serial number of "2001". Included is a 16" x 6.5" wooden presentation plaque with an engraved plate reading:<BR><center>THIS SCOOP USED ON THE MOON<BR>BY THE APOLLO 14 CREW.<BR>JAN. 31 - FEB. 9, 1971<BR>PRESENTED TO - GENE CERNAN<BR>FROM - AL, STU. & ED</center><BR>It was a tradition among Apollo mission commanders to present an artifact from their flight to their back-up commander. Following the completion of the Apollo 14 mission to the Frau Mauro area of the moon, Commander Alan Shepard presented this lunar scoop he used on the lunar surface to his back-up, Gene Cernan. It would be an historic exchange between the first American in space with the last human to walk on the moon. <BR><BR>Shepard and fellow astronaut Ed Mitchell spent nearly a day and a half on the moon, and over nine hours exploring its surface. With the scoop attached to an extension handle, both astronauts used it to collect a variety of lunar samples. There may be a good reason why the extension handle is not included with it. As every golfer worldwide (and many space collectors) knows, Apollo 14 was the famous mission where Alan Shepard secreted (some might say smuggled) the head of a six iron golf club and a couple of golf balls into the lunar module for an impromptu experiment about how far a golf ball would travel on the moon. Well, the club shaft he used was the extension handle from the lunar scoop! After hitting the golf balls, but not for "miles and miles and miles" as he claimed, he took the extension handle and used it as a javelin, thus creating the first "Lunar Olympics" event. Certainly an historic item with association to two of America's most widely known and respected astronauts. <I>From the personal collection of Captain Gene Cernan accompanied by written authentication by Cernan. </B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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