Sold For $16,805
*Includes Buyers Premium
Flown Apollo A7L space suit pressure garment assembly (PGA) pressure gauge from the suit of Apollo 13 CMP Jack Swigert, measuring approximately 1.75˝ x 1.25˝ x 1˝, which was located on the lower right arm so that the astronaut could quickly verify suit pressure. The gauge's face provides a range from 2.5 to 6 PSIG. Manufactured by DMD for ILC Industries, Inc., the gauge is engraved on the top of its blue anodized housing: "Pt. No. A6L-104025-04, Ser. No. 275, Mfg. by DMD for ILC Industries, Inc.," and hand-engraved with a post-mission downgrade to "Class III / 3." These numbers match an accompanying copy of a page from an ASHUR document requesting "downgrade to Class II, the indicated Apollo 13 Pressure Garment Assemblies," affiliated with "Spacecraft Number CM 109"; the document specifically names "A6L-104025-04 S/N 275 Pressure Gage" as hardware affiliated with Swigert's suit. In very good to fine condition, with wear from use and two small cracks to the gauge's plastic window. The gauge is clearly seen on Swigert's arm in NASA photo S70-34850, showing Swigert during suit-up on April 11, 1970. Notably, this is the first documented flown PGA component we have offered.
The Apollo 13 PGA space suits were downgraded to 'Class II' for training in the Water Immersion Facility (WIF) at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston on November 19, 1970. The cracks in the gauge's window were likely sustained during this period, as a post-flight inspection of the suits recorded no scratches. The gauge was designated 'Class III' by January 1972, presumably after WIF training for Apollo 15–17.
Jack Swigert was the Command Module Pilot on Apollo 13, joining the crew just days before launch after Ken Mattingly was exposed to German measles. During the mission, he was the first to report the issue caused by an oxygen tank explosion, uttering the famous line, 'Okay, Houston… we've had a problem here,' which was then repeated by CDR James Lovell. Swigert played a key role in conserving power and navigating the crippled spacecraft, helping bring the crew safely back to Earth.
