It's your last chance tomorrow to bid in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's space memorabilia auction.
As we've mentioned, the highlights include a space-flown Apollo 16 Descent Electrical DC Power Schematic Page signed by moonwalker Charlie Duke. Bids continue to come in thick and fast for this fine piece and it has now reached $3,600.
The multi-signed Apollo 13 Lunar Map Segment is also proving popular and carrying a bid of $2,750.
The remaining highlights of the auction include:
A 20" x 24" canvas showing the Earth's horizon, which has been personally autographed by 19 astronauts, from Project Mercury through the Space Shuttle Program.
 They wrote their names in the sky... the astronaut-signed Earth canvas |
Highlights amongst those signatures include: Apollo 14 moonwalker Edgar Mitchell, pioneering astronaut James Lovell and more recent frequent-flyers such as Robert "Hoot" Gibson: STS-41-B, STS-61-C, STS-27, STS-47, STS-71.
Then there's an Apollo 15 space-flown Australian Flag from the personal collection of Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot (CMP) Al Worden. The 4" x 6.5" national flag of Australia was flown to the Moon aboard Apollo 15 Command Module Endeavour.
While Apollo 15 crewmembers Jim Irwin and Dave Scott explored the lunar surface, Worden conducted experiments from lunar orbit and later in the mission executed the first deep space extravehicular activity, which occurred more than 200,000 miles from Earth.
He has inscribed on this museum-quality artefact the words, "Flown to the Moon on Apollo 15 — Al Worden CMP."
Both these items have doubled their opening bids to reach the $2,000 mark.
Finally, there is a truly fantastic piece which will fascinate aviation collectors as well as space fans - and perhaps some philatelists too. This is a Wright Brothers cover signed by several moonwalkers: Alan Bean, Charlie Duke, Edgar Mitchell, as well as the late Charles Conrad and Jim Irwin.
 All the way from Earth to the Moon: The multi-signed Wright Brothers cover |
The cover bears a six-cent Wright brothers air mail stamp and first day of issue postmark machine-cancelled from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1949 - the 46th anniversary of Wilbur and Orville Wright's historic flight from this location.
The commemorative cachet displays an image of the Wright brothers' plane on display in the Smithsonian Institution, along with the portraits of Wilbur and Orville. The astronaut signatures on the cover are a tribute from one group of aerospace trailblazers to another.
The 6.5" x 3.75" cover has been matted and framed using archival methods to an overall size of 10.25" x 7.25", and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Astronaut Scholarship Executive Director Linn LeBlanc.
Though it's come a long way from its initial $25 bid, the current $1,000 price is still a little low for this fantastic item. Wright Brothers memorabilia can be very valuable, especially if it's a real piece of history such as their first company cheque.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation online auction closes at 10pm EDT on September 3.
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