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Gene Cernan’s flown ring-bound ‘LM Data Card Book’ that was carried to the lunar surface aboard the Lunar Module Challenger during the historic Apollo 17 mission, entitled “Apollo 17 / LM Data Card Book / Part No. SKB32100123-387, S/N 1001,” signed and flight-certified in blue felt tip on the front cover, “Flown to lunar surface, Apollo 17, Gene Cernan,” which also bears a provenance stamp from "The Eugene A. Cernan Space Collection.” The ‘LM Data Card Book,’ 8.5 x 10.5, contains a total of 20 independent leaves (including the front and back cardstock covers), each of which is signed neatly in felt tip by Cernan below his flight certification stamp: “Landed on the Moon, aboard the Apollo 17 LM ‘Challenger.’” Also of considerable interest are the opening 10 pages of the booklet, which contain ample felt tip numerical notations made by Cernan while at the Taurus–Littrow landing site. These relate to the following sections: ‘LM Activation Card,’ ‘CSM CIRC,’ ‘DOI-2,’ ‘PDI Rules,’ ‘NO PDI +12,’ ‘PDI 1 Abort Card,’ ‘PDI 2 Abort Card,’ ‘Lunar Surface Card,’ ‘Abort/Ascent Card,’ ‘Direct TPI Card,’ ‘AGS Recovery from Bad Radar Marks,’ and ‘CSI Card.’ In fine condition, with expected signs of age and use.
Accompanied by a signed letter of authenticity from Cernan, who writes: “Enclosed with this signed letter of provenance is a 3-hole punched Apollo 17 LM Data Card Book, Part No. SKB32100123-387 S/N 1001. On the top is a stamp reading ‘Provenance / The Eugene A. Cernan Space Collection.’ I have written on the cover ‘Flown to the Lunar Surface on Apollo XVII’ and included my signature. This entire book was carried to the lunar surface and used aboard the spacecraft Challenger on the moon in the Taurus-Littrow valley during the last Apollo lunar landing mission in December 1972.
The LM Data Card Book contains templates for recording Pre-Advisory Data (PAD), which was used throughout the flight of the Lunar Module and our stay on the surface. Each card was used as a concise document for making notations on LM operations including LM activation, aborts, rendezvous and docking. When large lists of PAD numbers were read from Mission Control to Jack Schmitt and I while in the LM, we used this book to record the data necessary to carry out a particular maneuver. To simplify the voice transmission of these large lists of numbers and reduce the likelihood of errors, each type of PAD was precisely formatted and aligned for use in Mission Control and this book.
The writing in these pages was all written while on the surface of the moon. The data contained in the data cards can be tracked in the official mission transcripts of our 75-hour stay upon the lunar surface. This book has been a part of my private space collection since our return from the moon until it was released in March 2011. I have further certified the provenance of each page and its flight status by stamping the pages Landed on the Moon aboard the Apollo 17 LM ‘Challenger’ along with my signature.”
This item is Pre-Certified by STEVE ZARELLI
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