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Apollo 12 Flown Gold Snoopy in Plaque Presented to NASA's Apollo Program Director Rocco Petrone, Directly from His Family's Co...
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Sold on Jun 14, 2024 for:
$18,750.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
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Description
Exceedingly rare, potentially one-of-a-kind
Apollo 12 Flown Gold Snoopy in Plaque Presented to NASA's Apollo
Program Director Rocco Petrone, Directly from His Family's
Collection. A 7" x 9.5" x 0.75" wooden plaque with a
glass-covered cutout containing a 4" crew mission insignia patch
and a lovely golden 0.375" x 0.5" Snoopy pin. The engraved plaque
below reads: "In Appreciation For Your Support Of The United States
Space Program This Pin Was Carried To The Moon Aboard Apollo XII.
November 14-24, 1969. ROCCO A. PETRONE." As seen in the brief
summary of Petrone's Apollo career below, it could be argued that
no one deserved this award any more than he did. An item for the
serious collector. Excellent.In 1960, while still on active duty in the U.S. Army, Rocco was appointed manager of the NASA Saturn Program's Kennedy Space Center operations, playing a pivotal role in the Apollo Lunar Landing Program by overseeing the development and activation of crucial launch facilities, including Launch Complex 39. This complex was integral to the Apollo missions, featuring the Vehicle Assembly Building, launch towers, and the Saturn V Crawler-Transporter, which moved the Saturn V rockets to the launch pad. After retiring from the army in 1966, Rocco joined NASA as the Director of Launch Operations at Kennedy Space Center, where he led the management, pre-flight operations, and launches of the first five crewed Apollo missions, including the historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Three months after the Apollo 11 mission, Rocco was appointed Director of the Apollo program at NASA headquarters, overseeing the missions up to Apollo 17, after which NASA ended the program despite his objections. Rocco believed the moon held keys to understanding the universe's origins, likening it to a new Rosetta Stone, and argued for extensive exploration through additional missions and the use of technologies like the Lunar Rover from the last two missions. Disappointed by the program's premature conclusion, he felt much remained to be discovered by studying lunar materials and exploring diverse lunar regions. Subsequently, Rocco was transferred to Huntsville to succeed von Braun as the first non-German director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, continuing his influential career in space exploration.
Auction Info
2024 June 14 - 15 Space Exploration Signature® Auction #6292 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2024
14th-15th
Friday-Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 20
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 673
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