Author Topic: Apollo 11 Items? (Read 8074 times)

pap344 · « **on:** 04/08/2025 02:28 pm »

Thanks for the add to the forum. My youngest son has a interest in space as his now deceased great grandfather was an engineer that worked on the Apollo 11 program. I came across a few items I saw on an online auction site that I think he would LOVE to have. I was wondering if they are even real (and in the particular case of the last item, what it is even for). I don't even know if these items are ok to own. The other issue I have is the price. I don't mind paying premium for a piece of history, but I also do not want to be taken to the cleaners. The three items are a flight plan binder, a reference binder and what is listed as an lunar module can.

Any thoughts or assistance is greatly appreciated.

If anyone has any questions on vintage trading cards or lego (in fact I do own several lego space sets), I am happy to answer those via PM.

C222 · « **Reply #1 on:** 04/10/2025 01:15 am »

You can see an online versions of the flight plan here:
https://archive.org/details/apollo-11-flight-plan/
https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/static/apollo50th/pdf/a11final-fltpln.pdf

Originals go for crazy money, especially when signed by the crew ($5000), reproductions can be found for a lot less. Collectors markets are wild, and only you can really answer if it's worth it (or risk the chance of getting an overpriced forgery on eBay).

If I had a flight plan signed by Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins, Kranz, etc... I'd be hesitant to touch it, much less open it up and read it.

pap344 · « **Reply #2 on:** 04/10/2025 06:45 pm »

Thanks for the info. These look like they have some age so it'd be interesting to see if they are real, but I can assure you I am not paying anywhere near close to that. I can always buy him a replica at that amount of money.

Any idea what the metal can thing is?

hartspace · « **Reply #3 on:** 04/11/2025 02:00 am »

Which online auction site this is from? Some of the more reputable ones do a good job of authenticating if the items are real or not. Signed things, particularly from Neil Armstrong, can get really expensive as can items that actually flew to the moon. And auctions, by their nature, can get crazy during bidding. This isn't meant to discourage you but to set expectations.

I'm not sure what the piece of hardware is, but it seems to be from the lunar module. That would mean that it was from a LM that did not fly or it might be a spare part. If the great grandfather worked on the LM, a piece like this or some other unflown LM hardware might be interesting for your son. Another thing to maybe consider is a personalized autographed picture from one of the still living Apollo astronauts. Some of them still autograph pictures through their own websites and the price they charge is often less than autographed pictures from auctions. I'm pretty sure Buzz Aldrin still does this if you want something specifically from Apollo 11.

pap344 · « **Reply #4 on:** 04/15/2025 02:42 am »

Apologies for the delay, been a crazy few days. It is on auctionninja. Auction runs through next Monday.

hartspace · « **Reply #5 on:** 04/15/2025 05:28 pm »

It looks like an estate auction, although they don't say for who. Given the location in New York, it is probably for someone that worked at Grumman back in the day. So, although I haven't heard of the auction company before, I think the items are probably authentic. The piece of hardware looks to be part of a LM ascent engine assembly. Since none of the flown LMs made it back to Earth, it is probably a test item or a spare. Hope this helps.

pap344 · « **Reply #6 on:** 04/17/2025 01:16 pm »

I just checked back and the book is up to $311 with 5 days to go, so it looks like I will be out there looking for a replica!

Thanks everyone for all the info. This is a great forum you have here. I have had the opportunity to learn some things I had never given any thought to. Going to stick around and see what else I can learn about.

-Pap