HISTORIC DOCUMENTS,PLAYBOY CENTERFOLD FLOWN TO THE MOON, AND A COATING OF MOON DUST FOR SALE AT APRIL 12 SPACE EXPLORATION AUCTION

On the 42nd anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's history-making first manned space flight, Swann Galleries will hold their first auction devoted to Space Exploration. The sale features extraordinary examples from the golden age of space exploration, including several significant items used on the moon, and a Playboy centerfold that was stowed on Apollo 17 as a gag.

HISTORIC DOCUMENTS, PLAYBOY CENTERFOLD THAT FLEW TO THE MOON, AND A COATING OF MOON DUST FOR SALE AT APRIL 12 SPACE EXPLORATION AUCTION

Data Card Book with handwritten entries made during the flight of Apollo 11 by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, which enabled them to make the first manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969
And Space Suit Overglove" heavily embedded with moon dust worn by Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, while collecting lunar samples in December 1972 are Featured

New York--Human ventures into space were among the greatest technological achievements of the 20th century. Space was the next great frontier and astronauts the new heroes. The first moon landing by Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969 was televised around the world and became a defining moment for several generations of people here on earth.

While many artifacts of the early space program were discarded, and many others are in institutional collections, extraordinary items from the golden age of space exploration still remain in private hands. Some of the most important examples will be sold at auction in New York on April 12.

The sale features three items used by American lunar explorers. First is the Apollo 11 Data Card Book-essentially a navigational notebook--annotated by the first men to set foot on the moon. This document represents-indeed embodies--the human and machine interface required to make the first successful lunar landing. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has inscribed and signed the cover and the data cards, some of which bear smudges of moon dust (estimate $200,000 to $300,000).

As Aldrin explains in a letter that accompanies it, the Data Card Book was a critical flight document carried in Lunar Module Eagle that enabled Neil Armstrong and myself to make the first manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969. Neil and I both made data entries and notes in this book before landing, while on the lunar surface, and after L[unar] M[odule] lift-off during rendezvous operations with Mike Collins in [Command Service Module] Columbia."

President John F. Kennedys goal of 'landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to earth is perhaps the best statement for what this document represents," he continues. All of the developmental efforts and technological accomplishments made in the Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo programs allowed the data that we recorded in this book to have the accuracy and ability to descend from lunar orbit, make the first lunar landing, leave the Moons surface, and make a successful rendezvous to return home."

The second item is a lunar surface map carried on the lunar rover (dune buggy") during the April 1972 Apollo 16 moon mission, one of only a few maps used on the lunar surface that were brought back to earth from the Apollo missions. As such, it is one of the rarest maps in the history of both cartography and human exploration ($80,000 to $120,000).

Third is the first complete article of space suit equipment with a substantial coating of lunar dust ever to be offered at public auction. It is a protective overglove" that was worn by Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, when collecting lunar samples in December 1972. The white fabric is so heavily embedded with lunar dust that it now appears gray ($200,000 to $300,000).
               
April 12 marks the 42nd anniversary of mans first space flight by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. A typescript of the technical report submitted to the authenticating body, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, to support the Soviet claim, signed by scientists, engineers, and the designer of the satellite-spacecraft Vostok, is one of the sale highlights ($80,000 to $120,000). Another important Russian item is the application to be a cosmonaut submitted by Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963 ($5,000 to $7,000).

Swann Auction Galleries first venture into the field of space exploration comprises 408 lots related to the American and Russian space programs ranging in value from a few hundred dollars to those described here. Included are signed and unsigned photographs, first day covers, letters, charts, maps, manuals, equipment, and artifacts including flags and other flown items from the NASA astronauts and their families. Among the more lighthearted is a complete Playboy centerfold that was inserted in the Apollo 17 flight plan by the back-up crew as a gag, which has been inscribed and signed, Flown to the Moon on Apollo XVII, Eugene Cernan" ($40,000 to $60,000). The sale was organized by Gregg Linebaugh and Richard Austin, experts in the field of space collectibles.

Swann has been selling books, manuscripts and autographs related to milestones in science, technology, and worldwide exploration since our very first auction over 60 years ago, so it is a natural progression for us to move on to space exploration, a growing area of interest that is reinvigorating collecting in the 21st century," said George S. Lowry, Swann Chairman.

The auction will begin promptly at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. The items will be on public exhibition on Saturday, April 5 and from Monday, April 7 through Saturday morning, April 12.

An illustrated catalogue with information on bidding by mail or fax is available for $25 from Swann Galleries, 104 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, or online at www.swanngalleries.com. For further information, or to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please call (212) 254-4710, extension 303.

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