CHARLES A. LINDBERGH "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. read more...

CHRISTA McAULIFFE Very distinctive color photo inscribed to NASA food specialist Dr. Charles Bourland, who is shown giving her an orientation to "space food." Photograph inscribed and signed: "Dr. Bourland -/Thanks! /S. Christa/McAuliffe". Color, 8x10. SHARON CHRISTA McAULIFFE (1948-1986) taught junior high school in Maryland (1970-1978) and Concord, New Hampshire (1978-1979) and high school in Concord (1980-1985) before being selected as the primary candidate for the NASA Teacher in Space Project on July 19, 1985. She was a payload specialist on Challenger STS-51L which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:38 AM on January 28, 1986. McAuliffe and her six colleagues were killed when Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch. DR. CHARLES T. BOURLAND, shown in this photo inscribed to him, researched and designed food for astronauts from the Mercury program to the International Space Station. Here is a shown giving McAuliffe an edible orientation. After retiring from NASA in 2000, Bourland wrote The Astronaut's Cookbook and taught a read more...

CHALLENGER STS-51L CREW: FRANCIS R. "DICK" SCOBEE, MICHAEL J. SMITH, RONALD E. "RON" McNAIR, ELLISON S. "EL" ONIZUKA, JUDITH A. "JUDY" RESNIK, GREG JARVIS and CHRISTA McAULIFFE The crew signed these First Day Covers, which were postmarked the day they died. Matted and framed in the Gallery of History style to 34x30. Comprises: (1) Commemorative Envelope Signed: "Dick Scobee 17 JUL 85" and "Ronald E. McNair", 6½x3½. The names of astronauts Scobee, McNair, Onizuka, Resnik and Smith have been typed on this cover, but only Scobee and McNair have signed it. Cover postmarked Kennedy Space Center, Florida, January 28, 1986. (2) Commemorative Envelope Signed: "Ellison Onizuka/Shuttle Astronaut" 6½x3½. Cover postmarked Kennedy Space Center, Florida, January 28, 1986. (3) Commemorative Envelope Signed: "Judith A. Resnik" 6½x3½. Cover postmarked Kennedy Space Center, Florida, January 28, 1986. read more...

AL WORDEN National Flag of the Netherlands (6x4½), flown to the moon on Apollo 15, signed on the white stripe by Command Module Pilot Worden, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, also signed by Worden Flag signed: "Flown to the Moon on Apollo 15 - Al Worden CMP", 6x4¼ Dutch National Flag with horizontal red, white and blue stripes, signed on the white stripe in blue ink. Accompanied by Typed Letter signed: "Al Worden", 1 page, 8½x11 Certificate of authenticity dated June 18, 2010 on Apollo 15 letterhead. In full: "I hereby certify that this flag from the Netherlands included with this letter went to the moon aboard Apollo 15 in the spacecraft 'Endeavor'. It remained in the command module during the lunar orbit phase of the flight. Apollo 15 was the fourth lunar landing mission, carrying for the first time a lunar rover and a Scientific Instrument Bay in the Service Module. The flight was launched on July 26 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on August 7, 1971, logging flight time of 295.2 hours and a distance of over 1.4 million miles. Dave Scott and Jim Irwin explored the region of Hadley Rille for three days while I conducted scientific experiments in orbit. read more...

CHALLENGER STS-51L: FRANCIS R. "DICK" SCOBEE, MICHAEL J. SMITH, RONALD E. "RON" McNAIR, ELLISON S. "EL" ONIZUKA, JUDITH A. "JUDY" RESNIK, GREG JARVIS and CHRISTA McAULIFFE 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". read more...

AMELIA EARHART Writing from England two days after her trans-Atlantic flight, she tells an uncle how surprised she is by all the publicity, and hopes it hasn't affected the family too much. Autograph Letter signed: "Amelia", 1 page, 7x9, also initialed by her on a postscript in right margin. London, no written date, but 1928 June 20. On letterhead of Aldford House, Park Lane, to "Dear Uncle", in full: "As you saw this morning I haven't much time to myself. My program is filled for me and I have to adhere to it or be swamped with invitations. So ...[ellipses in original] I am sorry not to have been able to see you longer. There is hardly a chance that I shall be able to do so while here, as I leave so soon for home. I do hope the family does not feel the awful publicity too much. I had no idea people would be so interested, and am quite overcome. Sincerely". [signature] I hope I may drop in at 137 on my way to Boston, if I may. A. E." Amelia Earhart (1897-1937?), with Wilman Stutz and Louis Gordon, flew from Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland to Burry Port, Wales (June 17-18, 1928) to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. read more...

WALTER M. SCHIRRA One-piece Flight Training Suit worn by Wally Schirra as he trained for the Apollo 7 space mission, accompanied by a typed letter of authentication signed by the astronaut. Comprises: (1) TLS: "Walter M. Schirra", 1 page, 8½x11. Rancho Santa Fe, California, 2002 May 3. To Who it may concern. In full: "I, Walter Schirra, attest to the fact that this is my original Flight Training Suit, worn by me while training for the Apollo 7 space mission." Fine condition. (2) The one-piece light blue training suit worn by Schirra. Zips completely down the front and has two original patches: Schirra's U.S. Navy leather ID patch on its right and the colorful cloth Apollo 7 patch on its left. There are a number of small circular oil stains on the seat, otherwise, the suit is in fine condition. Apollo 7 was the first manned flight of the Apollo spacecraft, with astronauts Walter Schirra, Jr., Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard. The primary objectives of the Earth orbiting mission were to demonstrate Command and Service read more...

ABOUT HIS ROCKET TO THE MOON. ROBERT H. GODDARD. Historically Important TLS: "R.H. Goddard", 1p, 8¼x11. Clark College, Worcester, Mass., 1921 March 7. To William L. Straus, Jr., Baltimore. On stationery listing Goddard and C.E. Melville as Professors in the Department of Physics of Clark College. In full: "In reply to your letter of March 3, I might say: 1) The work at present is confined to the construction of a small model and there is no immediate prospect of financing anything more than this. 2) Regarding your second question, I admit that there is no oxygen in the atmosphere on the moon, but beg to call attention to the fact that any of the commercial flash powders contain an oxygen-carrying compound, which is usually potassium chlorate. The experiment which has been given considerable publicity took this fact into account, the flashes being exploded in a glass container in which the pressure had been reduced to about 1/60 of atmospheric pressure." Goddard began experimenting with rockets in 1908, when he demonstrated that rockets could operate in a vacuum. In 1914, Goddard received two U.S. patents. One was for a rocket using liquid fuel. The other was for a two or three stage rocket using solid fuel. read more...

X-15 PILOTS A piece of space flight history, this 11x14 photograph of the powerful X-15 has been signed by eight of it's twelve pilots; Peter Knight, Milt Thompson, Bob White, Joe Engle, Bill Dana, Scott Crossfield, and first man on the moon Neil Armstrong! Photograph signed: "Peter Knight", "Milt Thompson", "Bob White", "Neil Armstrong", "Joe Engle", "Bill Dana", "Scott Crossfield", 11x14. The X-15 was an experimental rocket-powered aircraft operated by the US Air Force and NASA as part of the X-plane series. The X-15 set a large list of records, including 13 different flights that exceeded the altitude of 50 miles, making the 8 flight pilots qualified for USAF astronaut status. There were a total of 12 pilots for the powerful aircraft, including NEIL ARMSTRONG (altitude 39.2 miles), SCOTT CROSSFIELD (altitude 15.3 miles), BILL DANA (altitude 58.1 miles), JOE ENGLE (altitude 53.1 miles), PETE KNIGHT (altitude 53.1 miles), MILT THOMPSON (altitude 40.5 miles), and BOB WHITE (altitude 59.6 miles). read more...