Auction Name: 2025 December 11 - 12 Space Exploration Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 50268

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6326*50268

Space Shuttle Enterprise Approach and Landing Test Crews-Signed Vintage Roll-Out Cover, also Signed by NASA Historian Gene Emme [with] Crews Color Photo. A highly desirable pairing celebrating the debut of NASA's first space shuttle orbiter, Enterprise (OV-101). As follows.
Crew-Signed Commemorative Cover: A cacheted cover marking the rollout of Enterprise at Rockwell's Palmdale facility on September 17, 1976, postmarked the same day. Boldly signed in black ink by all four astronauts of the Approach and Landing Test (ALT) program crew: "Fred Haise" (Apollo 13 LMP, Commander for ALT free flights); "Gordon Fullerton" (Pilot, ALT free flights; Commander of STS-3); "Joe Engle" (Apollo 14 backup LMP, Pilot for ALT captive and free flights; Commander of STS-2); and "Richard Truly" (Pilot for ALT captive flights; Pilot of STS-2; Commander of STS-8; later NASA Administrator). Also signed by NASA's first official historian (1959-1978) "E M Emme".
Color Photograph of the Crew with Enterprise: A modern 10" x 8" color photograph of the four astronauts posed in blue NASA flight suits in front of Enterprise, which remains one of the most recognizable test vehicles of the American space program.
Perfect for matting or display. Both excellent.

Together, these items capture the beginning of the Space Shuttle program and the historic testing phase that proved the orbiter's aerodynamic capability prior to operational spaceflight. This a choice combination for collectors of shuttle and test-flight history. From the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke

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