Lot #449

Edgar Mitchell Autograph Letter Signed

Description

Mitchell's detailed handwritten account of the Apollo 14 mission: "To look back toward the Lunar Module across the vast, barren, but beautiful terrain, to look up and see the fragile planet Earth"

ALS, one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, no date. Detailed handwritten letter to an admirer, in full: "I was privileged to be Lunar Module Pilot for the third lunar landing in the Fra Mauro Highlands, serve Alan Shepard and Stuart Roosa on Apollo 14, and be the sixth man on the Moon. It was exciting, challenging, yet very serious work to prepare for this wonderful adventure. What more could an explorer ask for than to be a member of the first teams to set foot on another planet? The three stages of the magnificent Saturn V rocket, two stages of the Command Service Module, two stages of the Lunar Module plus the astronaut pressure suit represented eight different space machines that needed to be mastered by the crews in order to perform their missions. Apollo 14 was the first mission to be devoted primarily to science. We were the eyes and bodily extensions of the team of geologists and planetary scientists who recorded our every move and inspected every sample upon our return. It was both a difficult chore and a thrill to climb Cone Crater to gather samples, to look back toward the Lunar Module across the vast, barren, but beautiful terrain, to look up and see the fragile planet Earth marbled in a blue and white atmosphere. But more exhilarating experience was to come. A snappy lift off and ascent toward 'Kitty Hawk,' then escape from lunar orbit, permitted three days of observation and contemplation of the wonders of our visible universe." In fine condition.

Auction Info

• Auction Title: Fine Autograph and Artifacts, Ft. Sports
• Dates: #614 - Ended August 11, 2021

This item is Pre-Certified by STEVE ZARELLI
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