Apollo Artifacts

Apollo Spacecraft News Reference for Lunar Module and Command Module

These Apollo News Reference Manuals were used by journalists who covered the Apollo program. It took me four years to acquire a pair as these manuals have become highly sought after. The pair include almost 500 pages of in depth detail about the Apollo spacecraft in the words of the contractors who built them.

Chapters include: Crew Systems, Displays and Controls, Docking, Earth Landing, Electrical Power, Environmental Control, Launch Escape, Reaction Control, Service Propulsion, Stabilization & Control, Telecommunications, Guidance & Navigation, Space Suit, Automatic Checkout Equipment, Kennedy Space Center Operations, Training Equipment, Test & Reliability, Manufacturing, Launch Vehicles, Mission Description, Crew Personal Equipment, Propulsion, Electrical Power, Lighting, PLSS, LM Anatomy, Biographies and more.

Contractor press kits relating to the Apollo 11 mission

 

I've worked in marketing and PR my entire career and am fascinated by the press kits put out by NASA and by the contractors. I was fortunate to have acquired a set of complete press kits used by a journalist while covering the Apollo 11 mission. Included are press kits from IBM (Computer systems), North American Rockwell (Command Module), Grumman (Lunar Module), TRW (Engines), and several other kits not pictured here.

Chariots for Apollo: A history of manned lunar space missions

Chariots for Apollo: A history of manned lunar space missions (by Courtney G. Brooks, James M. Grimwood, and Loyd S. Swenson, Jr., NASA History Series SP-4205, first edition, 1979) is the definitive NASA account of the Apollo program.

This was the personal copy of Laurence K. Loftin, Jr. In 1970 Loftin held the position of Director for Aeronautics at the Langley Research Center and he was chief Aeronautical Engineer at Langley from July 1972 until his retirement from NASA in December 1973.

10:56:20 PM EDT 7/20/69 CBS News book

This awkwardly titled book is a limited edition that was produced by CBS News for distribution to VIPs, advertisers, and affiliate executives. It provides an excellent overview of the historic conquest of the moon as reported to the American people by CBS News over the CBS Television Network. The images are all television screens and the text is all on-air dialog from Walter Cronkite, Roger Mudd, Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, special correspondent Wally Schirra and many others.

Inside the book is the business card of Frank Stanton, President of CBS and a personal note "This limited edition is the record of how CBS News met the most demanding challenge yet put to electronic journalism. We publish it with pride—in the accomplishment of Apollo 11 that we share with all Americans and the pride of achievement that we at CBS count among the great chapters in our history."

Of a Fire on the Moon

Of a Fire on the Moon is a fascinating synthesis of science and literature about the flight of Apollo 11 written from the unique vantage point of one of America’s premier literary journalists. This is a signed first edition, Little Brown, 1970. Mailer hung around Houston and the Cape for months to do his original reporting. Some may feel the book lacks depth or is overly cynical. But I really like Mailer’s wit, penetrating insight and philosophical scope.

Apollo post mission booklets

The NASA press office prepared post mission booklets for each Apollo mission. They include photos and technical data. These are a great way to get the basics of each mission.

Apollo mission press kits

Prior to each mission, the NASA press office prepared detailed (100 page plus) press kits for the journalists who covered the missions. These original kits are fascinating in the detail provided. I have an original copy of each Apollo moon landing mission press kit except Apollo 12 and Apollo 13. Let me know if you have an extra one from either of those missions to sell.

KSC launch badges

These interesting plastic launch badges denoted various levels of access to Kennedy Space Center locations during the launch of the Apollo Saturn I and Saturn V vehicles.

NASA books

The official NASA publications are a great resource. Some have become quite rare.

Escape Velocity Press Club membership card

The Escape Velocity Press Club was an organization for members of the press who covered the Apollo manned space missions. This card was issued to Fred Cambria from CBS Television.

Escape velocity is the speed that spacecraft must attain to escape the earth's gravity.

Notice that the club membership card is signed by Jim Schefter who is the author of The Race: The Uncensored Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon (1999, Doubleday). Schefter covered NASA from 1963 to 1973 for the Houston Chronicle and for Time-Life.