March 2012 Auction Ends Wednesday, March 28th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/28/2012
Apollo 9 flown NASA logo patch from astronaut Rusty Schweickart's PLSS. Schweickart signs on the verso, ''Flown on Apollo 9 -- Cut from my PLSS -- / Rusty Schweickart''. This patch would have been located at the top center of the PLSS (portable life support system), the backpack of the spacesuit, providing essentially the same functions as the spacecraft life support system outside the spacecraft. The 6 March 1969 Apollo 9 mission was the first flight of the Command/Service Module with the Lunar Module, testing several aspects before the first moon landing, including the lunar module engines, backpack life support systems, navigation systems and docking maneuvers. As Lunar Module Pilot, Schweickart 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 3.75'' square NASA 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. Minor wear, else near fine.
Apollo 9 Flown and Signed NASA Logo Patch from Astronaut Rusty Schweickart's PLSS Backpack-- Historic First Use of PLSS in Space
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