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Flown Lunar Landing Navigational Chart (No. 18/24) (10.5x7.5", professionally matted and framed t...

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:25,000.00 - 35,000.00 USD
Flown Lunar Landing Navigational Chart (No. 18/24) (10.5x7.5 , professionally matted and framed t...
Flown Lunar Landing Navigational Chart (No. 18/24) (10.5x7.5", professionally matted and framed to 15.5x23.5") with a hand-signed, printed multicolor certification by Charlie Duke that reads: "I certify that the attached Apollo 16 navigational chart accompanied me aboard our Lunar Module "Orion" to the Descartes Highlands of the Moon where it landed on April 20, 1972. The chart then spent the next three days on the surface of the moon housed in the "Orion". This chart played a critical role in the success of our mission, as it was used by John Young and me to monitor our flight path across the moon during our descent to the lunar surface. Each astronaut was allowed to keep disposable items as personal mementos after the flight and I chose to include this chart among mine. Today, it remains among the finest astronaut flight-certified objects on earth ever flown to the surface of another world and has been a treasured part of my personal space collection since April 1972". There is a hand-signed inscription on the reverse of the chart that reads: "This navigational lunar chart was flown to the lunar surface onboard "Orion", April 20-23, 1972, Charlie Duke". There is a rectangular label at the lower left of the removable plastic chart cover that reads: "Flight-Recovered: Lunar Surface" with the initials "CMD" at one end and the Apollo 16 multicolor crew patch at the other. While there were 24 charts in the series used by the astronauts, we have heard of only one or two additional charts being in private hands. We do not know how many of these charts were saved after the flight, but they can probably be counted on one or two hands. What we do know is that items flown to the lunar surface, actual equipment used by the astronauts while there, are the scarcest of the scarce. Most items used there were left on the lunar surface to save weight when it became time to return to the Command Module waiting in orbit. A similar map, but used by the Apollo 16 astronauts to navigate on the lunar surface, realized $94,000 in the Christies May 2001 sale. Don't miss this opportunity to add a most important piece of history to your collection. Ex: the Jim Ruddy collection. FLOWN Estimate: $ 25,000 - 35,000