SkyMan goes collecting. CAUTION, many pix.

[SkyMan]

I've been actively collecting space memorabilia (SM) since my last SkyMan post, roughly 6 months ago, and have been particularly active in the last two months. As per norm, the "Great White Whale" part of the collection continues to be trying to find something flown from Freedom 7, the First US manned spaceflight. Nothing has turned up lately, so no luck there. I have however been able to fill out various portions of the collection.

 

Finding Shuttle era pieces is relatively easy and inexpensive. The Orbiters were Big Beasts that flew many times. After an item onboard had worn down more than NASA liked, the item was scrapped, normally by having a big red S or SCRAP spray painted on it. For more delicate items a sticker would be attached. Here is a thermal insulation blanket that flew (in the equipment bay) of the shuttle Columbia on STS-87. The blanket is 24" X 24".

 

Shuttle era equipment is not the area of SM I specialize in collecting. My main collecting goal is to get at least one flown item from every Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (MGA) mission. As mentioned, the only flight I still need to get an item from is Freedom 7. Over time I've gotten quite interested in Apollo 12, the second Moon landing. I've gotten to know the two surviving astronauts, and gotten friendly with one of them. Being the second landing, it is not nearly as expensive as collecting Apollo 11 items, although it is still quite pricey. I've also gotten interested in meeting and talking with as many of the MGA astronauts as possible, to learn their stories and to get a feel for them as people. Just like coin collecting, the most enjoyable aspect of SM collecting is getting to meet other people along the way.

 

Meeting people along the way not only is enjoyable, the flip side is that they meet you too, and aside from the personal connections, you sometimes are given access to collectibles that never hit the open market. The item I had previously collected for Gemini 9 was a Fliteline medallion. Fliteline medallions are medallions shaped like the mission patch for that specific flight. They are generally made out of sterling silver. They were carried aboard spacecraft in the Gemini era, 1965 - 1966. No one is sure how many flew aboard each spacecraft, but best guess is less than 100 per mission. Here is my Gemini 9 Fliteline medallion. You'll see a picture later in this thread that shows how big it is compared to a quarter.

 

While I like my Fliteline, it is a memento, as opposed to an operational object from Gemini 9. Finding Operational stuff from the Gemini era is a real needle in a haystack kind of a problem. Gemini spacecraft were tiny. The two crewmen together had roughly the same amount of total living space as the front seat of a VW Beetle from that era. Luckily, thanks to the contacts I have made, I was invited in March to participate in a private sale held by Gene Cernan, the Commander of Apollo 17, the last Apollo flight to the Moon. He had earlier been the Pilot aboard Gemini 9, and I was able to pick up two FLOWN checklists from him. The two checklists were the Gemini 9 Flight Plan Book, and the Gemini 9 Launch Abort Checklist. Over time it has become MUCH more difficult to find checklists, not that there were many in the first place. These items are often bought by dealers who then sell them page by page, as even inexpensive pages from this era range in the upper 3 figures, while expensive pages run WELL into the 5 figure range. I personally find checklists fascinating because they tell the astronauts what to do and when to do it. Here is a picture of yours truly with Gene Cernan. In my hand is the Launch Abort Checklist, in Gene's hand is the Gemini 9 Flight Plan Book.

 

For truly mission critical items, things that needed to happen in real time, cue cards would be created. Cue cards are basically a hard cardboard card that takes data from some page(s) in a checklist and is attached via velcro to the instrument panel of a spacecraft so that it is right in the astronaut's field of view. Gene had a variety of cue cards for sale, and I got the most interesting one to me. It is also an EXTREMELY rare cue card, as it is one of only three that ever existed in the whole Apollo program. It is the Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) Bay cue card. The SIM Bay was basically a Bay ( a side of, if you will) in the Apollo Service Module that was crammed with 6 scientific instruments to study the Moon. The SIM Bay only flew on Apollos 15 - 17, so there cannot be more than 3 cue cards. In this case it is a two sided card telling the astronauts how to turn on and off the instruments, and how to move the spacecraft while the instruments were operating. It was attached to the Apollo 17 Command Module control panel while it orbited the Moon. Here's a pic of Gene holding the card. Notice the velcro on it.

 

Like I said, the most enjoyable aspect of SM collecting to me is the connections I've made. A VERY high end SM collector friend of mine invited me over to his office in early May to see some meteorite specimens. It turned out that my friend was purchasing a large slice of the largest lunar meteorite in existence. Given the cost of it, he had the dealer come by to show meteorite specimens to a group of his friends. The meteorite was originally 11 kilos in weight... now remember, lunar and martian meteorites are so rare that they are sold by the gram. No one was willing to buy the whole meteorite, and after sitting on it for a period of time the dealer started slicing 500 - 600 gram slices of rock off of the meteorite. He still has saved the majority of the meteorite, ~ 6.5 kilos, as a single chunk. This chunk is the LARGEST piece of the Moon currently on the Earth, as the largest Apollo specimen has been cut into smaller pieces. If you've got, bottom line, $2,000,000 you could buy the remaining meteorite piece. The 500 - 600 gram slices will run you in the $200,000 - $250,000 range.

 

I have long wanted to buy a Martian meteorite. While talking to the dealer at the event, it turned out he had a (for a martian meteorite) good sized one, 34 grams, for sale in my price range, so I got it. Martian meteorites are incredibly rare, and I was very lucky to get this one. Below you'll see pictures of me by the 6.5 kilo lunar meteorite, note also the 500 - 600 gram slices in the frames. Below that is an image of the Martian meteorite next to the Gemini 9 Fliteline. To give you an idea of scale is a Barber quarter.

 

I've also been picking up some unflown Apollo items. Here is a S-IVB 4 Way valve still in it's shipping bag. The S-IVB was the third stage of the Saturn V rocket. Below that is an Apollo spacesuit oxygen tube connector.

 

 

Over the years, I've been trying to get as many Apollo era astronaut signatures on certain items as possible. The title to this post refers to that. These guys are for the most part in their mid 80's now, and pretty soon they'll probably start dropping like flys. They are a fascinating group of people to talk with, and many have a VERY good sense of humor. There were 24 men that went to the Moon. Of these, 7 have died, and several others are in a bad way. I spent several years trying to get as many of the survivors as possible to sign this picture. The picture is of the Apollo 16 Command and Service Module (CSM) in lunar orbit with the Earth in the background. To me it gives a real feel for the scale of the endeavor of sending men to the Moon in the 1960's. You can see the CSM to the left of the Earth just above the Lunar surface. I've gotten the astronauts to sign it in mission order, with Apollos 8 and 10 in the upper left corner, and then the subsequent missions signing in a clockwise fashion. CDR is Commander, CMP is Command Module Pilot, and LMP is Lunar Module Pilot. I've managed to get 13 astronauts to sign it: Frank Borman Apollo 8 CDR, Tom Stafford Apollo 10 CDR, Michael Collins Apollo 11 CMP, Buzz Aldrin Apollo 11 LMP, Gordon Apollo 12 CMP, Alan Bean Apollo 12 LMP, Jim Lovell Apollo 13 CDR (and Apollo 8 CMP), Fred Haise Apollo 13 LMP, Ed Mitchell Apollo 14 LMP, Dave Scott Apollo 15 CDR, Al Worden Apollo 15 CMP, Charlie Duke Apollo 16 LMP, Gene Cernan Apollo 17 CDR (and Apollo 10 LMP). You certainly won't see many items signed by as many of the 24 guys that went to the Moon as this. At this point in time, it is essentially impossible to reproduce.

 

Finally, the following item is to remember that the Apollo astronauts were above all, human. They are/were all someone's son, husband, father etc., with hopes, dreams, fears, likes and dislikes. This item is an old Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX.) cafeteria tray. On it, the astronauts have written their favorite dish from the JSC cafeteria. I bought it with some signatures on it (of astronauts that no longer do signatures), and have filled it out over time. I have also included Dee O'Hara, the nurse to the astronauts. If you have any problems reading who liked what, just send me a pm and I'll let you know what it says.

 

I've also been purchasing some Apollo 12 flown items lately. I think this post is long enough as it is, so I'll save the Apollo 12 items for November 2014. Believe it or not, at that point it'll have been 45 years since the mission.

[skippy]

I read up on how scientists can determine whether a meteorite is from Mars or not. How do you, as an end purchaser, determine authenticity?

 

MGC? PMGS?

[Walkerfan]

Great post and pictures----I enjoyed reading it! :thumbsup: The Martian meteorite is COOL and I LIKE the signature lunch tray, too.

[michael]

i agree wholeheartly

 

great thread explainations and photos

 

i happen to like the interplanetary space rocks best (thumbs u

 

along with trying to get all the astronauts signatures which i think is a stand alone collection

[DaveG]

Well, on the one hand, this is way dorkier than coin collecting.

 

On the other hand, it's astronauts and space exploration - and there's absolutely nothing cooler than that!

 

Nice collection!

 

Thanks for sharing!

[MarkFeld]

While I saw a picture of a coin and mention of the word "quarter", I must have missed the part of the post that discussed rare coins on this, the U.S. Coins forum.

 

I expect that I will be criticized for this and thought of as an uncaring meanie. But regardless of how cool and/or interesting this topic happens to be, this does not appear to be the forum for it.

 

There are likely many additional subjects that others could post about, which would also be of interest to many forum members. But most other posters refrain. And there is a general discussion forum available.

 

This is not personal, as I would say the same, regardless of who posted. Lastly, please don't tell me no one forces me to read off topic posts - that is true, but it doesn't make the posts any less off topic.

 

Let the retorts begin. I will not post again to this thread.

 

[SkyMan]

Thanks guys, I'm glad you enjoy the items.

 

I read up on how scientists can determine whether a meteorite is from Mars or not. How do you, as an end purchaser, determine authenticity?

 

MGC? PMGS?

 

 

To those that are not aware of how a meteorite's origins are determined, here's a link to a Heritage auction lot that had both a martian and a lunar meteorite piece. In the body of the description of the lot is an explanation of how lunar and martian meteorites are differentiated from other meteorites.

 

 

Determining meteorite origins.

 

 

As to myself determining the authenticity, this specific piece was bought from one of the most respected meteorite specialists in America. I've also looked at a fair amount of martian meteorites from this specific site, the Tissint area of Morocco. This is a well known martian meteorite site where the fall of the meteorite was actually witnessed on 7/18/11. The rock exhibits common characteristics of the Tissint meteorite.

[Eric Hazen]

Very cool, and a very interesting collection subject.

[coinman_23885]

Very cool!

[thebeav]

Great post and very interesting stuff !

 

Looks like a fun area to collect.

 

Paul

[rrantique]

Great post and pictures----I enjoyed reading it! :thumbsup: The Martian meteorite is COOL and I LIKE the signature lunch tray, too.

 

(thumbs u

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

I have to agree with Mr. Feld. But.......WOW! This stuff is awesome! The pieces from the manned missions are one thing, but I have to ask about the moon specimens.

 

Is there any thought among collectors of space rocks that when humans colonize away from Earth that these specimens will become worthless? I mean on Earth they are 'moon rocks'. But on the moon, they're just 'rock rocks'. Or is non-Earth colonization generally considered too far into the future for it to matter to anyone alive today?

 

My guess would be that the thinking that it's too far into the future. But something tells me that if you asked the boys in WWII how long it would take for man to get to the moon, they wouldn't say 25-30 years.

[johnny9434]

that stuff ya got there is interesting to see. thanks for sharing it

[kryptonitecomics]

There is no denying it's off topic so there is nothing that needs to be said to Mark in reference to his post. With that said...I also found it super cool and love seeing stuff like this posted....now if we can just get an NGC space Forum

[Coindude]

Sy it always makes me happy when I see a collection like this put together. It does me even more happiness when that person isn't doing it for a profit. And lastly it does my heart well when that person deserves what they are achieving. You sir deserve this and you are doing well by our American heroes as well. Thanks for being the curator of these important pieces of American history.

[jpcienkus]

Sy, very cool post. I think the picture you are having signed is not only a great idea, but a unique collectible that could be worth a lot of $$$.

 

The martian meteorite is very cool. How heavy is it? I'd like to think the mass of the meteorite is heavier than a comparable rock originating from this planet. Why I think that, I don't know. But on average for this size specimen, is it heavier or lighter than one would think?

 

Thanks for sharing all those items.

[SkyMan]

...The martian meteorite is very cool. How heavy is it? I'd like to think the mass of the meteorite is heavier than a comparable rock originating from this planet. Why I think that, I don't know. But on average for this size specimen, is it heavier or lighter than one would think?

...

 

Elements are elements, they have the same mass wherever they are in the solar system (actually in the universe as a whole). They will weigh more or less on a given planet due to the gravitational attraction of the planet, e.g. equal items will weigh more on the Earth than on Mars. An object weighing 100 pounds on Earth will weigh roughly 38 pounds on Mars.

 

In this case, the martian meteorite weighs 34.4 grams (on Earth) and for the natural history guys out there it is classified as; Achondrite (Martian, olivine-phyric shergotite).

 

As to Mr. SmithG's comment, about the value of lunar meteorites, I have no idea, my best guess is they would indeed come down in value if lunar rocks come back and are sold to the general public. I think the same will occur to martian meteorites, just that it will take longer to bring back significant quantities of martian rock. I think I am relatively safe in my lifetime that the value of the specimen that I bought will not just hold it's value, but hopefully increase in value as more collectors (as China, India etc. create wealthier individuals) enter the field over the next 30 years.