Vintage NASA Astronaut Signed Picture Ronald E. Evans Apollo 17 (Autopen) 1960s

Description: Check out our store under the "Aviation & Space" category for other similar astronaut pictures and save on shipping! Estate sale find, vintage original autopen signed picture of NASA Astronaut Ronald E. Evans. Capt. Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr., USN (November 10, 1933 – April 7, 1990) was an American naval officer and aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut. As command module pilot on Apollo 17 he was one of the 24 astronauts to have flown to the Moon, and one of 12 people to have flown to the Moon without landing on it. Evans was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 7 and Apollo 11 flights, and as backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 14. Evans' only space flight was as Command Module Pilot of Apollo 17, the last scheduled U.S. crewed mission to the Moon. He was accompanied by Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. While Cernan and Schmitt landed and worked on the Moon in the Taurus–Littrow valley, Evans remained in lunar orbit on board the Command Module America, completing assigned work tasks which required visual geological observations, hand-held photography of specific targets, and the control of cameras and other highly sophisticated scientific equipment carried in the service module's SIM bay. When the seven Mercury astronauts were announced to the world in 1959, they were almost immediately deluged by autograph requests. They received so much fan mail that it became practically — if not actually — impossible to respond to it all. Instead of ignoring the letters, NASA decided to employ the use of a machine that would allow secretaries and mail room assistants to apply pen-drawn autographs to astronaut photos and other mailed-in items. The "autopen" relied on a pattern, referred to as a matrix, that the machine would trace. These patterns, for which each astronaut may and often did have several different styles, began with an authentic signature. The machine's operator would select the type of pen and manually feed the item to be signed. As this was a mechanical process the results were not as smooth as an authentic signature. Still, to the untrained eye, autopen autographs appear to be real. As they were based on authentic signatures, the autopen could be passed off easier than an attempt by a secretary to forge the astronaut's handwriting. NOTE - Autopens come to an abrupt halt at the end of a letter and frequently leave a noticeable spot of ink at the ends of letters and words. In addition the lines of the Autopen are typically of the same thickness. The item measures approximately 8" X 10", approximate shipping weight 4 ounces. PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - AS IS - NOT AUTHENTICATED - MORE THAN LIKELY AN AUTOPEN SIGNATURE - The item appears to be in overall Fair to Good Minus used condition, signs of wear, creases, fading, tears, chipping, sunning and age toning, soiling, stains, writing, no odors, please see images. (C1A3-202)

Price: 31.34 USD

Location: Bakersfield, California

End Time: 2024-12-03T18:00:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD