LiveAuctionTalk com Highlights Space Memorabilia in its Weekly Free Article
Released on = July 26, 2007, 2:18 pm
Press Release Author = Rosemary McKittrick
Industry = Internet & Online
Press Release Summary = Rosemary McKittrick's column keeps readers up-to-date on what's happening at auction around the country. Visit the site and sign up for a free weekly subscription.
Press Release Body = July 26, 2007--Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the powdery moon's surface and looked around at the eerie landscape around him.
"Magnificent desolation," he uttered. The sun-filled plains of the moon's 'Sea of Tranquility' seemed to cover everything. It was a stark beauty.
The American dream of landing a man on the moon had finally come true as the second astronaut, Aldrin, stepped onto its surface. The mission now for the Apollo 11 crew was to coax the moon to give up its secrets.
Sewn to each astronaut's left gauntlet was a checklist of tasks. Through repeated simulations they knew from memory the order of events.
But they still used the checklists consistently just like professional airline pilots. It didn't matter how well they thought they remembered.
The checklist was long and time was short. Nearly every second had been accounted for in the schedule.
Their tasks on the moon included measuring "moonquakes". They also needed to set up bulky equipment that would accurately gauge the distance between earth and the moon.
The whole world seemed to be watching the Apollo 11 moon landing and space walk unfold on TV. For many, it was the greatest adventure of the 20th century. As of July 20, 1969, the history books would record every detail.
The checklists the two explorers carried were vital documents to the success of the mission. Aldrin's list had been in his private collection since 1969.
It sold on March 31, 2007, at Swann Galleries, New York, fifth annual Space Exploration auction. The single-sheet checklist brought $31,200.
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