Artifact: Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster "Remove Before Flight" banner
Date of use: anytime within 1981-2011
Manufacturer: Thiokol

Serial Number: 0007919

Part Number: IU50727-0107703
Spacecraft: Space Shuttle
Dimensions: 30.3 x 7.6 cm (banner) 16.1 cm (teather strap).
Weight: 10 gr
Program: Space Shuttle
Flown Status: unflown

Description: This banner was produced by the Thiokol's Wasatch division with the Serial number 0007919 and Item number IU50727-0107703 on the reverse side. It still has the tether strap attached.

This tag and others like it were used to mark support hardware, protective covers, and various items temporarily attached to the orbiter and/or its payloads that were not meant for flight. The red color helped engineers to easily spot and confirm that all equipment requiring removal was taken off before the shuttle launched into orbit.

Artifact: Apollo Remove Before Flight protective cover
Artifact Category: protective cover
Date of use: between 1969/1972
Manufacturer: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation
Part Number: LDW 420 P10119-9

Serial Number: LDW 420 10110-1 S/N4

NASA Contract Number: NAS9-1100
Spacecraft/Launch Systems: Lunar Module
Materials: Perspex, Velcro.
Dimensions: 5.1 x 2.5 cm
Weight: 5 gr.
Program: Apollo
Flown Status: unflown

Description: Apollo Lunar Module "Remove Before Flight" Protective Cover, Kennedy Space Center, Ground Support Equipment. This artifact was designed to protect critical Flight Hardware in the Apollo Lunar Module Astronaut Fight Deck. It would have been removed just prior to launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's prime Lunar Module spacecraft contractor, Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, constructed this "Remove Before Flight" tag from clear Perspex material. A patch was affixed to the tag where it would have been attached to an Apollo Lunar Module Spacecraft (possibly Apollo 11 and others). Many of these tags were reused for several LM spacecraft. Cleanliness Level: "C".

This artifact was originally purchased at the Charles H. Bell estate auction in the year 2000 at his Titusville, Florida facility. A copy of the original NASA Manufacturer tag is included.

Artifact: Space Shuttle Ankle Restraint Assy
Artifact Category: restraint
Date of use: between 1981 to early 1990's

Part Number: 10108-10056-01
Dimensions: 30.3 x 22.8 (pad), 29.2 x 15.4 cm (foot restraint)
Weight: foot restraint and pad: 167 gr. Foot restraint 122 gr. Pad: 45 gr.
Program: Space Shuttle
Flown Status: unknown.

Description: Space Shuttle Ankle Restraint Assy. NASA part #10108-10056-01 indicating Forward, were first used on STS-1. Based on photo, they appear to have been duck taped in place, although there is possibly adhesive residue of some type on the back. Unknown if flown. Originally obtained as NASA surplus.

Crew member slips his feet into middeck port side intravehicular activity (IVA) foot restraints behind open stowage locker drawer aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during its STS-5 mission. Credit: NASA.

View of forward (FWD) flight deck (FD) floor showing foot restraints of Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-53 mission. Credit: NASA.

Artifact: Apollo Lunar Module Remove before flight switch cover
Date of use: between 1969 to 1972
Manufacturer: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation

Part number: LDW 420 M80029-1 / LDW 420-80026-1

NASA Contract Number: NAS9-1100

Markings: 1459 on the plastic plug, and 1610 on metal clip
Dimensions: 5 x 4.2 cm (plastic plug), aproximatly 60 cm (wire), 3 x 0.9 cm (metal clip).
Weight: 20 grs.
Program: Apollo.
Flown Status: unflown.

Description: this is a plastic switch cover for the Apollo Lunar Module. Comes from Charlie Bell's collection of space artifacts.

This cover consists of two pieces of thick, patterned plastic held together with a retaining clip and a metal cable from which a Grumman / KSC quality control tag would hang. The only thing that remains from the quality control tag are a couple of eyelets attached to a thin metal wire.

Protective cover as installed in the Apollo 12 LM prior to flight. The photo shows the Panel 5 area below the Commander's window.Credit: Grumman.

Another view of the same area of Apollo 12 Lunar Module, before flight, this time with no protective covers. Source: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal.

I have another remove before flight cover, which according to documentation, was removed from the Apollo 15 LM. See here.

Artifact: Apollo 17 certificate of appreciation.
Dimensions: 21.7 x 28 cm.

Description:
Certificate of appreciation given to Vincent J. Buzzelle. "This certificate is an expression of opur sincere appreciation for zour dedicated efforts which enables us to take another step towards man's continuing conquest of space", followed by the printed signatures of Gene Cernan, Ron Evans and Harrison Schmitt.

Artifact: Al Worden signed business card
Dimensions: 9 x 5 cm.

Description: Al Worden signed 4x2 inch Colonel Alfred M. Worden Apollo 15 NASA business card.

Artifact: Scott Carpenter signed Mercury Friendship 7 space capsule model.
Manufacturer: Code 3 Collectibles.

Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 cm (capsule), 8.3 x 3 x 7.2 cm (stand).

Scale: 1:25
Weight: 217 gr (capsule), 195 gr (stand). Total: 412 gr

Description:

Mercury Friendship 7 model signed by Scott Carpenter. The Mercury capsule model is made of casted resin and the stand is made of wood.

Mercury-Atlas 7, launched May 24, 1962, was the fourth crewed flight of Project Mercury. The spacecraft, named Aurora 7, was piloted by astronaut Scott Carpenter. He was the sixth human to fly in space.

This model, however, corresponds to Mercury's spacecraft, named Friendship 7. The Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) was the first crewed American orbital spaceflight, which took place on February 20, 1962, and was piloted by astronaut John Glenn.

Artifact: Apollo 15 flown voice and data tape segment.
Date of use: July 26, 1971 - August 7, 1971.
Dimensions: 2.58 x 8 cm (tape sample), 21.6 x 28 cm (presentation).
Flown Status: flown.

Description:

Voice and data tape segment (34/200) flown around the Moon on Apollo 15. The reel was lot #539, purchased at auction in the Spring of 2000 by collector Mike Smithwick. It comes with copies of its corresponding documentation, which includes transit tags, bonded storage documents and laboratory reports.

The Data Storage Equipment (DSE) recorded the voice and data aboard the Command Module. It included two eight-inch (20.32 cm) reels that that spooled through read-write heads approximately 2,250 feet (685.5 m) of one-inch Mylar magnetic tape. The 14-track tape had a storage capacity of over four hours of voice and data.

DSE (Data Storage Equipment). Credit: Photo: S66-22993. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

The DSE (Data Storage Equipment) was used during the crucial Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn performed by the Command and Service Module (CSM) while situated on the opposite side of the Moon, beyond the reach of Earth communication, and during re-entry. Throughout this interval, the DSE recorded the dialogue of the crew, as well as critical data related to the engine and system operations. Subsequently, these recorded inputs were transmitted to the ground for detailed engineering assessment as the spacecraft flew into Earthrise and reestablished radio contact with Mission Control.

More information:

Spaceholic.com - Artifact: Data Recorder, Apollo Command Module Data Storage Equipment (DSE), Block II

Artifact: Gene Cernan signed 14x11 photo.
Dimensions: 27.9 x 35.5 cm

Description: signed picture of Apollo 17 Commander Gene Cernan next to the deployed United States flag during lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. The Earth is visible at the top of the image. Photograph taken by Lunar Module Pilot, Harrison Schmitt.

Artifact: Two Apollo 12 chart sections of Data from the Moon.
Dimensions: 16.5 x 10.5 cm and 10.4 x 9.9 cm

Description:
Two sections from a strip of live data from the Moon transmitted back to Earth by the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP).

CHANNELS 1, 2, & 3 - Suprathermal lon Detector Experiment (SIDE]
SIDE analyzes the "ions" found near the Moon's surface. Ions, which are fragments of atoms that have been broken apart by ultra-violet light energy and collisions with other ions, make up nearly all of the Moon's tenuous "atmosphere." Not being "whole" atoms, ions are very unstable, acting like pieces of electricity that can reach speeds ranging from 25 to 250 miles per second! Most lunar ions come all the way from the Sun (in the "solar wind" of ions), while some originate from gases that have escaped from beneath the Moon's surface.

lons are distinguished from one another by their 1) MASS (or weight), 2) VELOCITY (speed at which they travel), 3) ENERGY (work done in accelerating the ions), and 4) CHARGE (number of missing electrons). SIDE performs its operation by counting ions of various energies and masses. Each of the three SIDE experiments on the Moon return eight channels of data. The three channels displayed on your sample include:

Channel I - Energy Step Sequencer
Displays SIDE's repeating 20-step "search pattern." Each of the experiment's 20 voltage settings allows it to check a different energy level at which ions are found.

Channels 2 & 3 - Total Ion Detector (TID)
Counts the total number of ions detected at each of the 20 "energy" settings of Channel 1. As the type of ion detected changes with each "voltage step" of Channel 1, the TID counts the number of ions at each new setting. Channel 2 counts the ions by thousands, and anything left over under 1,000 is shown on Channel 3. Consequently, Channel 2 lists the TID's "Most Significant Data" and Channel 3 indicates "Least Significant Data."

CHANNELS 4, 5, & 6 - Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE)
PSE registers seismic vibrations of the Moon's surface caused by "moonquakes" and meteoroid impacts. The Moon does not experience quakes the size of those on Earth. In fact, the Moon is so "quiet" that the PSE was designed to be one million times more sensitive than instruments used to detect earthquakes. Even the footsteps of astronauts could be measured during their moonwalks.

Channels 4, 5, & 6 display PSE data in a three dimensional (x, y, z axis) pattern:

Channel 4-Shows seismic vibrations in the north-south direction (x axis). Channel 5. Shows seismic vibrations in the east-west direction (y axis).
Channel 6 - Shows seismic vibrations in the vertical (up-down) direction (z axis).

A seismic event (quake or impact) causes vibrations that can last for hours, and is shown on a strip chart by a bulge in the thickness of the ink track. On one occasion, as the result of a huge meteoroid impact near the experiment, the bulge covered an entire channel. The ink track will remain straight during an authentic seismic event. If your sample shows a "wavy" PSE track, it is not indicating a seismic event, but rather an effect of a temperature change or a "leveling calibration" command sent by radio frequency from the ALSEP Control Network on Earth.

These sheets were given to visitors and prominent people of the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), called Johnson Space Center (JSC) since 1973.

Artifact: Space Shuttle Main Engine nozzle cooling channels section.
Manufacturer: Rocketdyne.
Dimensions: 7 x 3.2 x 0.6 cm.
Weight: 20 gr.
Program: Space Shuttle
Flown Status: Unflown.

Description:

Section of cooling channels for the Space Shuttle Main Engine nozzle used for testing.

The nozzle is manufactured from 1,080 individual A-286 Stainless Steel coolant tubes. These tubes are thinwalled and roughly 1/4" (0.63 cm) in diameter brazed together and to the structural jacket.

The fuel is supplied to the nozzle from the high-pressure fuel turbopump at 6,000 psi. It enters the nozzle from the diffuser and is then routed through the downcomer lines into the aft manifold. The fuel is routed upwards in a single pass through the nozzle tubes to cool the inner wall of the nozzle increasing in temperature by 400°F (204°C) in ahout two milliseconds. The hydrogen collects in the forward manifold then onto the mixer bowl to combine with the bypass flow from the coolant control valve.

Space Shuttle Main Engine. The cooling tubes are visible on the interior wall of the nozzle. Credit: National Air and Space Museum - Smithsonian Institution.

Liquid Hydrogen at -423 °F (-252° C) was used during chill-down and was the propellant for the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) on the Shuttle Orbiter.

The Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25, also known as the SSME, is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine that was used on NASA's Space Shuttle and is currently used on the Space Launch System (SLS).

Artifact: Jim Irwin signed litho
Dimensions: 20.3 x 25.5 cm.

Description:

Jim Irwin signed litho with the preprinted inscription "His love from the Moon".

Jim Irwin, born on March 17, 1930, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was chosen as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 15 and on July 26, 1971, he became the eighth person to walk on the Moon. Irwin spent a total of 18.5 hours on the lunar surface, conducting scientific experiments and collecting samples.

During his time on the Moon, Jim Irwin had a transformative experience that profoundly impacted his life. He described feeling a strong spiritual connection and a sense of awe while exploring the lunar landscape. This experience led him to devote his post-NASA career to exploring the relationship between faith and science.

After leaving NASA in 1972, Jim Irwin founded the High Flight Foundation, a Christian ministry aimed at integrating faith and space exploration. He traveled extensively, sharing his experiences as an astronaut and delivering inspirational speeches about his faith. He sought to bridge the gap between science and spirituality, encouraging others to explore the wonders of the universe while deepening their understanding of God.

In my collection I have a signed business card from the High Flight Foundation (see here).

On August 8, 1991, he passed away at the age of 61 due to a heart attack while climbing Mount Aetna in Washington state.

Artifact: Slide rule used by engineer Gary Allgire during the Apollo Program.
Dimensions: 5.2 (5.9 cursor) x 30.8 cm (slide rule), 33 x 8 cm (case).
Weight: 135 gr (slide rule), 188 gr (case).

Description:
Pickett & Eckel Model N4-ES slide rule with a copyright date of 1959. It was used by NASA structural engineer Gary Allgire during the Apollo Program.

Gary Allgire was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from university he was invited by NASA to join the John F. Kennedy Space Center, where he worked for a total of 33 years for the Apollo Program, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and the Space Shuttle Program.

Above: Jeff Hedges (NASA Operations), Gary Allgire, and Mike Wideman (Rockwell International) near the escape tower of Apollo 17 at the launch pad. Credit: Gary Allgire/American Space Museum (YouTube).

More information:

Gary Allgire interview at the American Space Museum in 2022

Slide rule: C and D scales

Slide rule: Proportion, percentage, squares and square roots

Artifact: Harrison Schmitt signed photo
Dimensions: 20.3 x 25.5 cm.

Description:

Official NASA litho signed by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt. It comes with a certificate of authenticiy from The Space Collective.

Harrison Schmitt, born on July 3, 1935, is an American geologist, astronaut, and former politician. He is best known for being one of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon as part of NASA's Apollo program. Schmitt was the last of the Apollo astronauts to step onto the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1965, Schmitt served as a backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission. However, due to changes in the astronaut rotation schedule, he was assigned as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 17. During this mission, Schmitt spent three days on the moon's surface, conducting experiments, collecting samples, and exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley.

Item: Space Shuttle HSRI tile
Size: 15.2x15.2x9x10.9x8.8x7.4 cms.

Weight: 338 gr.

Serial number: VO-070-193004 -98 -008727.

Description: This thermal protection tile comes from the estate of a Lockheed Missile and Space Company Engineer who worked on the development of the Space Shuttle Tiles for NASA. The Company went on to make the tiles for NASA. This tile has the digitized serial numbering system NASA used for placement of each tile on the shuttle. This particular tile was to be located on the mid fuselage sides and lower area. On the back side it says: "VO-070-193004 -98", "53842", "8727", "SCRAP".

Artifact: Fit Check Tile of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

Nomenclature:

VO70-391040-112
P1 099 ONLY
TY6317 4-82
H-13728 E07 14
OML

Orbiter: OV-099 Challenger

Location: forward fuselage.

Category: Thermal Protection System.

Period of use: 1982.

Manufacturer: Rockwell International / NASA

NASA contract number: N/A

Spacecraft/Launch Systems: Space Shuttle

Dimensions: 15.1 x 29.8, x 8.5 cm

Weight: 696 g.

Program: Space Shuttle

Flown status: unflown.

Description: Fit Check Tiles were used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter bodies to verify the fit before the actual tiles were fabricated and installed. Each Orbiter is covered with approxim ately 24,000 silica fiber compound tiles and they are all essentially different in size and shape. Based in the information printed on the tile, this particular example would fit on Challenger. The tile originally came from the Charlie Bell collection and is displayed on a Mahogany base with a metal descriptive plaque affixed to it.

Tile serial numbers normally consist of four segments, the first three separated by dashes. In this fit check tile, three numbers appear separated by dashes:

VO70-391040-112

The first two elements of the serial number are letters 'VT' or 'VO'. The 'V' is for Vehicle, the 'O' is orbiter.

The second set of six digits is the location on the orbiter. The following diagram provides a better understanding of tiles locations:

Credit: NASA

P1 099 ONLY means that it was used only on the Challenger Orbiter.

OML: Outer Mold Line.

Sources:

Tile serial numbers (NASA)

Shuttle Tile Maps

Artifact: Apollo A7L spacesuit Checklist and scissors pocket

Size: Checklist pocket: 23x18x7.5 (extended with cover open: 35 cm), Scissors pocket: 7.7x18.4 (extended with cover open 29.1 cm). Straps and pockets, total extension: 62 cm.

Part Numbers: A7L-201047-01 and A7L201049-01. 

Description: Checklist and scissor pockets with metal buckles and part numbers A7L-201047-01 and A7L-201049-01, respectively. This item comes from the collection of Robert (Bob) Dale Helton, who was an aerospace educator that worked on NASA outreach.

The part number for the checklist pocket and the scissors pocket generally refers to the set, with this identifier sometimes present on the strap that connects both pockets.

The last 2 numbers represent the evolutionary model of the same design. Thus, -01 was the first version of a particular article. The metal snap pockets were used extensively during the training of the Apollo Program astronauts. These types of pockets appear in later versions from Apollo 11 to Apollo 14.

Special features: The model that is part of my collection has some rust spots and a red strikethrough on the part number. On one of the straps it is written "Not for O2 use". Probably, as this item was meant to be used for training some parts of it, might not use the same quality materials and therefore beta cloth might not be present in some parts.

The Apollo A7L spacesuit was a versatile system having a base configuration that served for launch, reentry and intra-vehicular activity (IVA) and that, when added accessories for extra-vehicular activity (EVA), also served to walk on the lunar surface.

The pockets with part numbers A7L / 201047/03 and A7L-201049-03 were used in the Apollo 11, 12, 13 and 14 missions.

More information:

Checklist pockets - Space flown artifacts