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Dave Scott’s small lunar-flown Beta cloth American flag that was carried to the surface of the moon during the historic Apollo 15 mission, 3.25 x 2.25, which Scott has annotated in blue ballpoint along the bottom edge. In fine condition. Accompanied by a detailed letter of authenticity from Scott, which reads, in part: “I hereby certify that the small beta-cloth US flag…included with this letter was carried inside a beta-cloth package mounted on an internal structural bracket of an Apollo 15 Oxygen Purge System (OPS) for three days of EVA excursions during Apollo 15, the first extended scientific exploration of the Moon, July 26-August 7, 1971.
During the Apollo era, it was not unusual for engineers or technicians to secretly hide souvenir items in some part of the spacecraft or flight equipment before launch to be recovered after the mission when the spacecraft was returned to NASA or the contractor. One instance of this occurred on Apollo 15. The OPS, including this small beta cloth US flag, was attached to the top of the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) on the lunar surface…For certain failure modes of the PLSS or PGA (space suit) during EVA, the OPS…supplies the space suit with oxygen purge flow and pressure control. This OPS was also to be used as the source of oxygen during emergency EVA transfer (if necessary) from the Lunar Module to the Command Module after rendezvous in lunar orbit…
Several weeks after Apollo 15, this OPS Bracket and Flag Package were shown to me by NASA senior management. Some of the small US flags…that had been extracted from the Package were also available. According to management, a member of the JSC Crew Systems Division (CSD) had prepared the flags and secretly stowed them in the beta cloth package on a structural Support Bracket inside the OPS. This was apparently unknown to anybody else until the OPS was disassembled after the mission by some other member of the CSD and the flag package was discovered. Both were then delivered to management for disposition. At the management meeting, I was given the OPS Bracket and Package and a small number of flags. I was informed that most of the flags were to be held by NASA to be distributed to individuals to be selected by NASA. I heard nothing further after this meeting. I presented some of the flags I was given to people who had made significant contributions to Apollo…This small beta-cloth US Flag has been in [my] personal collection since presented to me by senior management after the mission at the above referenced meeting.”
This item is Pre-Certified by STEVE ZARELLI
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$75.00
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