Still streaked with lunar dust, the checklist was used during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and is set to sell at auction.
Still streaked with lunar dust, the checklist was used during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and is set to sell at auction.
This mission checklist that was used on the moon by astronauts in 1972’s Apollo 17 mission is set to go for nearly $500,000 at auction.
The dusty document used on the Moon is estimated to sell for more than 400 thousand British Pounds (USD $497,906).
Worn on the lunar surface by NASA astronaut Gene Cernan – it is still covered in moon dust.
Cernan wore a glove during the mission, and the cuff checklist was attached to his wrist for the duration of the first extra-vehicular Activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission.
Taking place between Dec. 7 to 19, 1972, Apollo 17 was the final mission of NASA’s Apollo program; the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit.
Boston-based RR Auction says the item was exposed to the lunar environment for 7 hours and 12 minutes and “as such, its pages are still streaked with lunar dust.”
The auction house have applied an estimate of $500,000+ (£402k) to the lot. It includes a highly accurate replica of Cernan’s left-handed Apollo A7-LB EVA glove fabricated by renowned artist Ryan Nagata, whose work has appeared in Hollywood movies including the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man.
The checklist can be seen on Cernan’s wrist in film footage and photographic stills taken during the EVA. Most evidently in images of him saluting the American flag after its deployment.
It contained a comprehensive guide for the entire extravehicular activity, offering preparation procedures, simplified maps, and task lists.
Consisting of 25 spiral-bound double-sided pages, attached to an aluminum wrist brace, the document outlines the principal goals of “EVA-1”. These included offloading the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), deploying the American flag, setting up experiment packages, and collecting samples of moon rocks and lunar soil.
Interspersed are cartoons of astronaut dogs exploring the lunar surface, playfully inserted by the backup crew—an Apollo tradition.
The Space Exploration and Aviation auction from RR Auction will conclude on April 20.
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