STS-1 - John Young & Bob Crippen Autographs - Artifact

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Offered for sale are autographs of John Young and Bob Crippen that are framed with a launch photograph of Space Shuttle Columbia for STS-1 mission and a piece of the Columbia itself.The photograph measures 11 by 14 inches and the inscription with signatures is on a white matt board measuring about 10 by 3 inches. There is some yellowing of the matt board displayed in the window as compared to that behind the matt. The inscription and autographs are clear and dark.The Columbia artifact is a 0.5" x 0.5" x 0.04" section of Inconel (nickel/chrome superalloy) Closeout Ring which was part of Columbia during missions STS-1 through 5. This item was purchased in in April 2009 from Lance Lobo (Bangor, ME) who cut from the complete ring and sold sections on eBay. Shown here are photos of where this ring was located on the Columbia and provenance for the ring and cut section.The framed display measures 17 by 27 inches and is comprised of a black metal frame and black matt with white core. The photograph and signatures are positioned with mounting strips and the artifact is recessed in the foam core backing.Below is the eBay auction description for the Columbia artifact which provides a detailed provenance:Space Shuttle OV-102 (Columbia) Flown Artifact - First Flight STS-1 thru STS-5 (1981-82)Includes Five Pages of NASA Documents Supporting History plus Photos.(These documents required a year of research to locate).Other shuttle items you see on eBay may only have a single tag and no documents.There will only ever be about one hundred of these fragments available from this part. So it is very limited. NASA employees do not even have one of these, unless they got it from me.It took a year to track down all the documents on the original Heat Shield Closeout Ring that these fragments were taken from. Document copies will be included with each fragment. Supersize the photos below to see the documents.The original large shuttle Closeout Ring section, that this fragment was taken from, is available for inspection. Contact me if you would like an appointment.I originally believed the parts were shuttle engine parts but Marshall Space Flight Center first identified them as orbiter parts: "The Shuttle Projects office performed a thorough search for documents relating to these parts. They identified the parts as Orbiter parts..." -- NASA, Marshal Space Flight Center, FOIA Office (08 July 03, see letter photo below) (copy included with fragment).(January 2004) After studying 26 year old microfilm, Kennedy Space Center has provided documentary proof (an OV-102 "As Built" form) that shows the original part was installed on Columbia in May 1978 before its first flight in 1981. (see two sided form below) (copy included with fragment) By contrast, the Enterprise shuttle glider had already been completed in 1975 then rolled out in 1976, and Challenger would only begin construction as an orbiter in 1979 then be rolled out in 1982. (nasa.gov)Based on documents from Johnson Space Center, the absolute limit of use of the original part was 07 Feb 1994 when new parts were authorized to replace them in OV-102 on an attrition basis. (see form below) (copy included with fragment) Columbia was also the first shuttle to undergo a scheduled retrofit in August 1991. That limits the service life of the part to 11 flights up to STS-40.Apparently the original part flew on at least the first five flights of the OV-102 (Columbia) orbiter. It was attached to the orbiters aft bulkhead in conjunction with the engine heat shield of SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) Number 2, Serial Number 2006, which was removed after STS-5. The part was therefore exposed to space for 398 Earth orbits and 588 hours total time. (nasa.gov)The original ring segments also show repair work, with reuse and flight wear afterwards. Therefore the part itself is additional documentation. (see photo below) (copy of photo included with fragment)Flight DataSTS-1 (April 1981) - Young, CrippenSTS-2 (November 1981) - Engle, ... read more

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