Official NASA photograph of the crew of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L. Challenger exploded in midair on January 28, 1986, making it the deadliest accident in NASA history until the destruction of the Columbia in 2003. This rare photograph contains the signatures of all seven crewmembers of STS-51L, who are shown in flight suits and holding their helmets. All seven people in this photo perished in the Challenger disaster Inscribed Photograph signed: "Dot - Best Wishes" (unknown hand),"El Onizuka", "S. Christa/McAuliffe", "Greg Jarvis", "Judy/Resnik", "Mike Smith", "Dick/Scobee" and "Ron McNair". Color, 10x8 overall, image 9¼x6¾ (one surface). NASA publicity photo with NASA logo in upper left corner. Captioned: "Crew of Space Shuttle/Mission 51-L. This photograph is an official NASA crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L. It contains the signatures of all seven crewmembers, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died when the space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch. The recipient of this photo, Dot Davis, worked with the Challenger crew at the Johnson Space Center.…"

Orville Wright signed this document in 1945 to lease 135 acres of farm and pastureland that he owned in Indiana. This document was signed three years before Wright's death and offers a look into how he paid his bills late in life. Lease signed "Orville Wright" as Lessor. 2 pages, 8½x12¾, single-sided sheets, bound with two staples at top edge. Feb. 6, 1945. Wright signed this lease agreement to lease 135 acres of farm and pastureland in "Township 23 North", Indiana [possibly Fowlerton] to Clayton W. Dickerson of Jonesboro, Indiana. The lease's term was from March 1, 1945, to Feb. 28, 1946. Dickerson leased the farm - which included improvements like an orchard, garden lot and barn - for $6 per acre or a total of $810, paid in full to Wright on Sept. 1, 1945. This lease also laid out Dickerson's responsibilities. In short, he had to maintain the land and its buildings out of his own pocket and pay one-half the cost for seed and fertilizer and for threshing and hulling any crops, with Wright paying the other half. Wilbur (1867-1912, born near Millville, Indiana) and Orville (1871-1948, born in Dayton, Ohio) formed the Wright Cycle Company in 1892 and manufactured bicycles.

"Lucky Lindy" talks about flying Jennies and why he dislikes reunions, ceremonies and dinners. TLS: "Charles", 1p, 8½x11. Germany, 1963 March 19. To Joe. On blue light-weight stationery. In full: "This is an awfully late answer to your January letter. My mail is always hopelessly stacked up, literally, and I have taken taken (sic) some of it abroad with me in the hope of catching up a bit at least with the letters I want most to write. It is really good of you to invite me to the reunion of the 110th Observation Squadron, and I do have a very close feeling toward the Squadron -- I often think of the old days flying 'Jennies' at Lambert Field. But Joe, I think reunions are for those who like them (and may God bless them). To me, reunions are pretty awful; they always detract from qualities of memory which I prefer to leave to the past where I think they belong and have the greatest value. Also, I like to live quietly and to concentrate on my work and interests. I realized, many years ago, that this kind of life was simply not compatible with ceremonies and dinners, for one led to another and there seemed to be no end. With the exception of two in Washington, which came under the 'private' category, and which were more or less unavoidable, it is now close to a decade since I have attended a formal dinner.…"

Collection framed in the Gallery of History style to 42x28. Four of the astronauts signed envelopes postmarked the day they died Comprises: (1) DICK SCOBEE, JUDY RESNICK and RON McNAIR. Envelope signed: "Dick Scobee", "Judy Resnik" and "Ron McNair", 6¼x3½. 22¢ Abigail Adams stamp affixed. Postmarked Kennedy Space Center, FL, January 28, 1986 (the day of the Challenger tragedy). Typed at left margin: "Space Shuttle 51-L". The names of five members are typed below the heading. Scobee, Resnick and McNair have signed to the right of their names. Fine condition. (2) MICHAEL J. SMITH. Commemorative Envelope signed: "Michael J Smith", 6¼x3½. 15¢ stamp affixed, postmarked Pearlington, MS, May 20, 1980. Air Mail envelope with stamped cachet: "NSTL/Space Shuttle Columbia/FLT Eng 2007 Removed A2/2005 Installed". Lightly rippled. Fine condition. (3) ELLISON ONIZUKA. Commemorative Envelope signed: "Ellison Onizuka/5-15-81", 6¼x3½. 3¢ "To Cast a Ballot" and 15¢ flag stamp affixed, postmarked Kennedy Space Center, FL, April 12, 1981. Stamped Space/Shuttle cachet. Slightly rippled.

Lindbergh's driver's license application signed by him twice and notarized, only three months before the kidnapping of his infant son. In the year after the kidnapping, with the baby found dead but no suspect yet apprehended, the New Jersey Motor Vehicles Commissioner (and future Governor) Harold Hoffman sent this application to a radio station which was closely following the case. Hoffman, later unmasked as a criminal himself, meddled extensively in the kidnapping case. Document signed twice: "C. A. Lindbergh", 2 pages (front and verso), 3¾x5. Mercer County, New Jersey, 1931 December 29. New Jersey Automobile Driver's Renewal Application, filled out by Lindbergh himself, giving his address (Hopewell, New Jersey) and physical description. He gives New York City as his place of (self) employment, and attests that he has never had his license revoked or suspended, nor had he been refused a license. Signed and attested as truthful by Lindbergh on verso and notarized by "Edward R. Whitehead". Light vertical crease at center (not affecting signatures). Signatures slightly smudged (still legible). Lightly worn at edges. Otherwise, fine condition. Accompanied by 1 page Typed Letter signed: "Harold G. Hoffman" as Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Trenton, New Jersey, 1933 January 26.

The original, hand-written note authorizing John Condon to act on their behalf during the 1932 ransom investigation of their kidnapped son! Charles Lindbergh was America's hero. The "Lone Eagle's" intrepid voyage across the Atlantic, in 1927, inspired a public loyalty to Lindbergh that endured long after the flight's successful conclusion. In terms of aviation, Lindbergh did not rest on his laurels following his famed Atlantic crossing. He continued to blaze new airborne trails, often accompanied by his wife, Anne (1906-2001). Lindbergh (1902-1974) was more than just the first man to fly the Atlantic alone. His solo journey captured the imagination of an adoring public on numerous psychological levels. That his quest was bold and daring, and thus resonant with the nation's collective spirit of adventure, is obvious. The consequences of his success were equally clear. Lindbergh was revered as a national hero, given the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the first Distinguished Flying Cross, and immersed in opportunities to leverage his new fame into wealth. As the voice of radio developed during this period, the nation tuned in as much for news of Lindbergh as to indulge its fascination with the new medium.

The man who pioneered the concept of the space shuttle writes about space travel. Autograph Manuscript signed: "By Dr. Wernher von Braun" in title, 1p, 8¼ x 10½ ruled sheet. Manuscript page, which is written in pencil, is part of a longer manuscript ("1" written by von Braun at upper margin). Headed: "Space Travel/by Dr. Wernher von Braun/Chief, Guided Missile Development Division//Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala." In full: "There are few dreams of the future which have woven so fascinating a web around human fantasy as flight through space. Since the first, epoch-making experiments of the great American pioneer of rocketry, Robert H. Goddard; since the days when Hermann Oberth, the German, and the Russian Constantin E. Ziolkovsky published their startling writings on rocket propulsion, a veritable spate of literature has overwhelmed the public. This has covered the entire field ranging from serious, scientific dissertations to comic strips. Thus, the intelligent layman outsider who is at tempting to sift the actual promises of space flight from idle conjecture frequently finds himself more confused than before he began to [word crossed out] study space flight literature.…"

A signed card and piece of fabric from Earhart's original Lockheed  Vega 5B. Collection comprised of: 1.) Card signed “Amelia Earhart”. 3½ x 1½, toned. Small smudge at “t”. Fine condition. 2.) Fabric tile, 2 inches x 2 inches affixed to a 13x18 poster. This swatch of fabric is from the original Lockheed Vega 5B flown by Amelia Earhart when she became the first women to make a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic (May 20-21, 1932). Earhart made the 3260-kilometer flight from Harbor Grace, newfoundland to Culmore, Londonderry, Northern Ireland in 14 hours 54 minutes. On August 24-25, 1932, in the same Vegas, Earhart flew from Loas Angeles, California to Newark New Jersey covering the 3940 kilometers in 19 hours 5 minutes. This was the first solo nonstop transcontinental flight by a woman. The Lockheed Vegas is now part of the collection of the National Air and Space Museum. Earhart established other aviation records that did not include "woman", such as first Hawaii-to-mainland solo and first Mexico City-to-New York flight (both 1935). In 1937, Earhart was lost over the Pacific in an attempted around-the-world flight. Framed to an overall size of 28¾ x 26¼. Frame exhibits wearing at corners.

. The airship pioneer writes a letter regarding the receipt for cigar-cases benefiting the Red Cross. Third Person ALS: "Graf Zeppelin" in German, 1p, 5½ x 8½. Friedrichshafen, 1917 January 22. Fully translated: "Graf Zeppelin recommends to the Zeppelin Airship Construction Company to give the attorney at law, Mr. Schwab, the opportunity to receive orders for his timely cigar-cases benefiting the Red Cross." Ferdinand, Count von Zeppelin (1838-1917) entered the Prussian Army in 1858 and served in the Seven Weeks War and in the Franco-Prussian War. He was an observer with the Union army during the American Civil War. In 1891, he retired from the Prussian Army to devote himself to the building of motor-driven airships. Zeppelin invented the first rigid airship in 1900 and in 1906, built one that had a speed of 30 miles per hour. In 1908, he established at Friedrichshafen the Zeppelin Foundation for the development of aerial navigation and the manufacture of airships. Zeppelin died on March 8, 1917, seven weeks after writing this letter. Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 33½ x 21.

This official NASA photograph is a crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L, which exploded in midair on Jan. 29, 1986 and which was the deadliest accident in NASA history until the destruction of the Columbia in 2003. This rare photograph contains the signatures of all seven crew members of STS-51L, who are shown in flight suits and holding their helmets. All seven people in this photo died in the Challenger disaster. Comes with a signed statement by a Kennedy Space Center employee, who collected these signatures with the help of a fellow employee. Photograph signed: "Ellison Onizuka", "S. Christa McAuliffe", "Greg/Jarvis", "Judy Resnik", "Mike Smith", "Dick/Scobee" and "Ron McNair". Color, 10x8 overall, image 9¼x6¾ (one surface). NASA publicity photo with NASA logo in upper right corner. Captioned: "Crew of Space Shuttle/Mission 51-L. This photograph is an official NASA crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L. It contains the signatures of all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died when the space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch. Accompanied by a signed statement by Fred A.…"

Two years before his first spaceflight, and five years before he set the first human foot on the moon, Armstrong fills out a flight plan, preparing to pilot a NASA jet from Ohio to Texas. Document signed twice: "N. A. Armstrong", 1 page, 8x12¾. Port Columbus, Naval Air Station [Ohio], 1964 June 25. Department of Defense flight aircraft clearance form. Details filled in by another hand, including mileage, transponder code, and equipment, but Armstrong has penned this notation: "Request radar vector climb on course." Armstrong plans to pilot a T-33 ("Shooting Star") aircraft from Port Columbus to Ellington Air Force Base in Texas, by way of Dayton. The co-pilot is J. F. Stegall, another NASA employee. Civilian Neil Alden Armstrong (1930-2012) had entered the U.S. space program as a senior NASA research pilot in 1962. A fan of aviation from the age of nine, Armstrong had his pilot's license by the age of 16, and, after studying aeronautical engineering at Purdue for two years, went to Pensacola, Florida for Navy flight training. Serving in Korea at the age of 21, Armstrong flew 78 combat missions and won three Air Medals.

This official NASA photograph is a crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L, which exploded in midair on January 28, 1986 and was the deadliest accident in NASA history until the destruction of the Columbia in 2003. This rare photograph contains the signatures of all seven crewmembers of STS-51L, who are shown in flight suits and holding their helmets Printed Photograph Signed in Ink: "Mike Smith", "Dick/ Scobee", "Ron McNair", "El Onizuka", "S. Christa/McAuliffe", "Greg/Jarvis", "Judy/ Resnik". Color, 10x8. Captioned: "Crew of Space Shuttle/ Mission 51-L. This photograph is an official NASA crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L. It contains the signatures of all seven crewmembers, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died when the space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch. The recipient of this photo, Dot Davis, worked with the Challenger crew at the Johnson Space Center. Accompanied by: A letter of provenance from Davis noting that the Challenger crew signed this photo in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center's while awaiting their launch.…"