December 2012 Auction Ends Tuesday, December 18th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/18/2012
Apollo 9 flown name tag patch from astronaut Rusty Schweickart's PLSS. Schweickart signs on the verso, ''Flown on Apollo 9 / Cut from my PLSS / Rusty Schweickart''. This patch was just below the NASA insignia. The portable life support system (PLSS) is the backpack of the spacesuit, providing essentially the same functions as the spacecraft life support system in a smaller, wearable package. The 6 March 1969 Apollo 9 mission tested several aspects critical to landing on the moon, including the lunar module engines, backpack life support systems, navigation systems and docking maneuvers. It was the first flight of the Command/Service Module with the Lunar Module. Schweickart piloted the Lunar Module and tested the PLSS for the first time when he left the Lunar Module Spider untethered for a space walk. This was the first (and only) time the PLSS was tested in space before an actual lunar landing. The 4.25'' x 1'' ''R. SCHWEICKART'' name tag patch is sewn onto a slightly larger, irregularly cut swatch. Both are Beta cloth, a fabric fireproof up to 650 degrees Celsius used in Apollo spacesuits after the fatal 1967 Apollo 1 fire. Fine condition.
Apollo 9 Flown and Signed Name Tag Patch from Astronaut Rusty Schweickart's Portable Life Support System -- Tested by Schweickart for the First Time During This Mission
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