January 2020 Auction Ends Thursday, January 30th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/30/2020
Three pieces of thermal coating from the Apollo 16 command module, removed from the spacecraft after it successfully orbited the moon and carried the astronauts back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on 27 April 1972. The Mylar thermal coating is part of the heat shield of the module, removed by chief NASA photographer Taylor W. Moorman and given to Navy Photographer PH 3 Terence Larkin, who was present at the splashdown. Moorman's NASA business card is included with the lot, as is a note typed by Larkin immediately after receiving the coating, reading in full: ''Piece of gold protective covering from the Apollo 16 Lunar [sic] Module. Most of this covering was burned off during the re-entry to earth. The rest of it flaked off when it hit the water. By the time the module was on board the ship there was only a few strips left on it. This piece was given to me by Mr. Morman [sic] of NASA.'' Pieces of the thermal coating measure approximately 2'' x 1.25'', 4.5'' x .5'' and 3.5'' x 1''. Photo of the splashdown from Larkin's collection also accompanies the lot, as does a photo sketch of Moorman during the mission, part of the NASA art collection.
Three Pieces of the Apollo 16 Thermal Coating, Taken From the Command Module That Orbited the Moon & Carried the Astronauts Back to Earth
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