LOT #71031 |
Current Bid: $1
Bell X-1 Multi-Signed NASA Photograph featuring "Mach Jump" Telemetry Tape (October 14, 1947). ...
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Description
Bell X-1 Multi-Signed NASA Photograph featuring "Mach Jump" Telemetry Tape (October 14, 1947). This 10" x 8" glossy B&W official NASA/ Dryden Flight Research Center photograph (E-38438) serves as a composite tribute to the most significant milestone in aviation history: the first manned supersonic flight. The image depicts the Bell X-1 #1 (Tail No. 6062) in flight, superimposed above an image of the historic "Mach Jump" paper tape. This telemetry record from October 14, 1947, shows the moment the needle "jumped" past Mach 1.0, providing the definitive proof that Chuck Yeager had exceeded the speed of sound. Signed by several legends with association to this historic flight:Chuck Yeager: The pilot of the X-1 and the first human to break the sound barrier. (Boldly signed across the fuselage).
Fred J. Ascani: Major General and the man responsible for selecting Yeager for the program. Inscribed with: "X-1 Pilot Selection."
Bob Hoover: Legendary test pilot, Yeager's primary backup, and the chase pilot during the historic flight.
Bob Cardenas: The pilot of the B-29 "Mothership" (Fertile Myrtle) that carried and air-launched the X-1 on its record-breaking mission.
Christopher C. Kraft Jr.: The legendary NASA Flight Director; then a NACA aeronautical engineer who worked on the X-1's flight data.
Gerald M. Truszynski: The NACA engineer responsible for the instrumentation and tracking that captured the very data shown on the "Mach Jump" tape.
The "Mach Jump" tape imaged at the bottom is one of the most iconic pieces of data in science, illustrating the jump in pressure-ratio that occurred as the aircraft transitioned from subsonic to supersonic flow. Excellent.
Auction Info
2026 March 21 Space Exploration Showcase Auction #33172 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
March
21st
Saturday
9:50 am CT
Auction Dates
March
21st
Saturday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
22 Days
22h 10m 41s
Internet/Mail Bids: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: 12
Page Views: 30
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
Space Session
(Lots 71001-71312) - 10:00 AM Central Time, Saturday, March 21, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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