Our Pale Blue Dot.

LAUNCH is a proud collection boasting historical pieces of the Space Age. Spanning from the first crewed flight of Project Mercury in 1961 to the Skylab that was stationed during the later 1970s, and beyond, the rich history recorded through the preservation of this material is invaluable. The first 15 lots of the sale consist of photography prints from the Apollo lunar missions. A large format chromogenic print of Buzz Aldrin’s iconic moonwalk opens the sale at lot 1. These prints and photographs show history as it was in the making, featuring landing modules, lunar rovers, and clad astronauts saluting from the moon. Orbit and mission charts like lots 16 through 21 further detail the stories of these accomplishments. Objects like the heat shield fragments from the Gemini missions (lots 34 and 36) traveled hundreds of miles into space, and back on Earth, provide a sense of tangibility to one of humankind’s greatest feats. Similarly, patches, pins, pamphlets, scale models, and other ephemera serve as physical reminders of our first journeys into space. Printed literature, such as autobiographical works (lot 55) and period news publications (lot 46), offer in-depth and authentic accounts of these events. The final 11 lots of the sale consist of fallen meteorites recovered from across the globe.

Featured image

APOLLO 8 “EARTHRISE” PRINT FROM A PHOTOGRAPH

December 24th, 1968, NASA. Vintage large format chromogenic print of a photograph taken by William Anders from the Apollo 8 command module, upon emerging from the dark side of the moon on the third lunar orbit, repeated “This Paper Manufactured by Kodak” watermark and hand-written notations to verso.