Steel gray approximately 8 x 8 fire extinguisher used as part of an experiment onboard Apollo 17. A plaque affixed near the base properly identifies the item by its control number, contract number, manufacturing date, serial number (652570002 NNN) and 7-pound weight. Accompanied by two copies of the “Apollo Spacecraft Hardware Utilization Request” that reads in part: “Purpose—To evaluate the effects of flight and long storage times on the condition of the extinguishing agent of the CM fire extinguisher. Justification—An action item was assigned at the December 1 Skylab Level 1 CCB to determine the effects of flight conditions and long storage times on the CM foam fire extinguisher. The CM 114 extinguisher will be the last unit subjected to flight conditions that will be available for testing prior to Skylab. The extinguishers for Skylab will be exposed to flight conditions for longer periods and stored for long periods in 1g than Apollo, and little data is available for these condition. It is intended to obtain the CM 114 extinguisher as soon as possible and measure the amount and condition of the extinguishing agent when discharged into a 6.2 psi environment. This work will not destroy the artifact value of the extinguisher but will in fact render it safe for display. The extinguisher is pressurized to 200 psi when charged and therefore could be a potential hazard. The unit should be discharged if just for safety purposes. Therefore, the proposed test will remove this hazard as well as provide engineering data for Skylab.” Also accompanied by copies of three pages of paperwork tracing the “Historical Events” of the item, including “12-6-72 KSC FLOWN ON APOLLO 17” and “1-8-73 Released from Bonded Storage.” This intimidating artifact bridges the gap between the Apollo program and the ‘next generation’ of spaceflight—Skylab. RRAuction COA.
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