Flag Crew Patch Flown Aboard (1 results)
- Hardcover
- Signed
Seller: Main Street Fine Books & Mss, ABAA, Galena, IL, U.S.A.Main Street Fine Books & Mss, ABAA
Contact seller5-star sellerOriginal space-flown flag (5½" X 4¼") and cloth patch (4¼" X 4 3/4") presented on a 12 3/4" X 16 3/4" cream colored heavy stock, in turn mounted to a 16" X 20" pale blue mat board. Very good. Bit of slight soiling. The cream colored stock bears glossy photographs on the upper left (takeoff) and lower right (landing) corners. At…lower left is a circular flute-edged NASA gold foil seal, and the space-flown flag is mounted at upper right -- consisting of the State Seal of Illinois, with the word "ILLINOIS" below, against a white background. The printed text cited above appears immediately below this flag, and the crew patch below this text. JOHN YOUNG (1930-2018) signs boldly in black ink to the left of the patch, while ROBERT L. CRIPPEN (born 1937) signs to the right. The Columbia STS-1 flight was called by NASA "The boldest test flight in history." It was the first orbital flight of the Space Shuttle program, lasting 54½ hours and orbiting the Earth 37 times; commanded by John Young and piloted by Robert Crippen, it was the first to use solid-fuel rockets in a U.S. manned launch. These rare relics were presented to Illinois' then-senator, ADLAI E. STEVENSON III (1930-2021), who was instrumental in guiding U.S. space policy.
