Hugely desirable flown flag display presented to astronaut Deke Slayton, NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office and Director of Flight Crew Operations, which contains an American flag, 5.75 x 3.75, which was carried to the moon aboard the Lunar Module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission, and a Wisconsin state flag, 6 x 4.25, which flew on the Apollo CSM-111 spacecraft during the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission. Both flags are mounted under Plexiglas and set on a presentation plaque, which reads: “Presented to Donald K. ‘Deke’ Slayton, For his role in the development of manned space flight. His contributions both as a member of the astronaut corps and the program management team have been a major factor in the success of our Nation’s Space Program.” Lower portion bears a facsimile signature of Chris Kraft, the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The plaque is attached to a larger wooden mount, 22 x 11.5, with design commemorating the ASTP mission and affixed emblems honoring the six main NASA programs. In very good to fine condition, with some tarnishing to the partially-cleaned presentation plaque, in no way affecting the pristine flags.
Few if any non-moonwalking astronauts can lay claim to a more impressive resume than Wisconsin native Deke Slayton. He flew in WW2’s European and Pacific Theatres, helped test Britain's first supersonic fighter, and he was selected as one of the original seven astronauts for Project Mercury. On March 15, 1962, two months prior to the launch of Slayton's Delta 7 spacecraft, he was medically disqualified from flight due to his previous diagnosis of having idiopathic atrial fibrillation, or erratic heart activity. Grounded but undeterred, Slayton was soon selected to serve as the senior manager of the astronaut office and, four years later, became responsible for determining the crews of the Gemini and Apollo missions as the director of Flight Crew Operations. Slayton strove to restore his flight status and did just that on March 13, 1972; his first and only space flight was served as a docking pilot during the historic Space Race-ending Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. A remarkable pairing of flown flags honoring two of NASA’s most significant and enduring manned missions, presented to a true giant in the annals of space and aviation.
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