Lot 214

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Description:

Alan B. Shepard Jr. Signed Photo w/ First Day of Issue Envelope!

A black and white photograph depicting Shepard's famous moonwalk in 1971 measuring 8" x 10" and accompanied by a First Day of Issue Envelope measuring 3.5" x 6.5". The photo is boldly signed and inscribed: "To Alex & Nina - Alan Shepard." Printed NASA caption on verso. Stamped in ink, the First Day Cover features a decorative Mercury Project stamp featuring Shepard's face and commemorating him as the "First American in Space." From the collection of Anatole Forostenko, Chief Russian Language Instructor-Interpreter for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission. Both are in fine condition. 

One of the Mercury Seven astronauts selected by NASA in 1959, Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (1923-1998) was the first American in space and the only one among the original cohort to walk on the moon. Shepard piloted the test flight Mercury-Redstone 3, or Freedom 7, on May 5, 1961. During the mission, which lasted 15 minutes and 28 seconds, Shepard's spacecraft entered space but could not orbit. Nevertheless, Shepard's test flight confirmed that American space technology could handle the challenges posed by launch and re-entry. Shepard missed being the first human in space by only three weeks. Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) orbited Earth aboard Vostok I in mid-April 1961.

Dr. Anatole Forostenko (b. 1939) was born in the Soviet Union and moved to the U.S. in 1949. He studied at Rutgers University and Indiana University before gaining his Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr. From 1970 to 1973, Forostenko was an Assistant Professor of Russian Language and Literature at the University of California. He then joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1974 and became involved in the Apollo-Soyuz test project. He became the Chief Russian Language Instructor for the NASA astronauts, preparing them to communicate with cosmonauts during the mission, and he worked closely with both crews as instructor-interpreter. Often, he worked in one-on-one situations with General Thomas P. Stafford and Vance Brand. During the Apollo-Soyuz mission, Forostenko served as one of three U.S. Air-to-Ground interpreters at the Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center. Upon completion of the mission, he traveled with the crew members and their families on the post-flight Soviet Good Will Tour and has remained in close contact with those involved.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000