LOT #42030 |
Sold on Jul 16, 2022 for: Not Sold
Rare Large Scale Vintage NASA-made Mercury Friendship 7 Spacecraft Model [circa 1961-1962]. ...
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Description
The first American craft to orbit the Earth
Rare Large Scale Vintage NASA-made Mercury Friendship
7 Spacecraft Model [circa
1961-1962]. A striking and impressive sizeable
representation of the craft from John Glenn's historic spaceflight
on which he became the first American to achieve orbital flight
successfully. Meticulously constructed with machined aluminum and
wooden retro pack, the model stands a commanding 70 inches tall
when sitting upon its custom aluminum base with wheels. Features an
approximately 44-inch tall separable metal escape tower and rocket.
Beautifully painted on different sides are the Friendship 7
insignia as well as "United States" and a handsome American flag.
Exquisitely detailed with particular attention paid to all aspects,
including the retropack, shingles, hatch, and other components. The
sharp contrast between the black capsule and red escape tower and
rocket makes for a brilliant optical display. Shows signs of paint
loss and wear commensurate with age.It was aboard the Friendship 7 that aviation pioneer and astronaut John Glenn made three daring orbits of the Earth. The Soviet space program beat the United States in successfully sending a man into orbit, but all research gleaned from that flight was a closely guarded Soviet secret. Glenn's successful mission, aboard the Friendship 7, provided NASA with invaluable insight into the impact orbit could have on the human body. The achievements of the Mercury Project, and distinctively this flight, were crucial for the United States to keep pace with the Soviet Union in the Space Race - a race the United States ultimately won when it became the first nation to put a man on the moon.
An excellent opportunity to own a model from the earliest days of the Space Program. It will certainly be the visual centerpiece of any sophisticated collection.
Provenance: Profiles in History, July 28, 2006, lot 547, "this model hung in NASA for thirty years until it was given to a retiring colonel in the 1990s."
Auction Info
2022 July 16 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6258 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2022
16th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 0
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,138
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