Apollo 11 Lunar Module Flown Signed 70mm Film Surface Moon Neil Armstrong Aldrin

Description

This listing is for a piece of 70mm film which was flown on Apollo 11, carried to the moon onboard
Eagle
, and used to take photos on the lunar surface by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
This display was created, certified, and signed by Richard Underwood, the head of NASA's photography department. Richard trained the astronauts, developed the film they brought back, and archived the flown film. During the preparation for the Apollo program, he was chief engineer on the production of the first topographic maps of the moon. He was the first person to view every photograph from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz missions, along with the first 23 Space Shuttle missions. He also provided technical training to every astronaut who went into space in the twentieth century.
After the flight of Apollo 11, Richard developed the photographs taken by the crew, and then placed the negatives into cold storage for long-term protection. After this process, he still had the Leader Strips - the blank sections of film at the beginning of a filmstrip, which were used by the astronauts to load the film into the camera. Realizing the historical significance of these strips, Richard cut them into slices, attached them to cards, and gave them to the NASA employees who were most crucial to the mission (including the Apollo 11 crew themselves). T
he ones owned by Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins were both auctioned off recently, and I've added photos of them here for comparison. The leader strips begin as non-treated clear film at the ends, and then contain light-sensitive chemicals as they approach the filmstrips. So the ones belonging to Armstrong/Collins darkened when exposed to light. The one for sale here remained clear, so it would have been nearer to the end of the filmstrip where it was initially wound into the camera by the astronauts.
A few years ago, I purchased this item from the family of an Apollo-era NASA employee who was given one of the film cards. After he died, his family decided to sell some of his mementos. I purchased this as part of a set of documents and items which had been given to him during his career at NASA in the 1960's. In addition, I sent this to Zarelli Space Authentication for further analysis. Steve Zarelli is the world's foremost expert on space-related signatures, and he examined the item and deemed Richard's signature to be authentic. He included a Certificate of Authenticity, which will be included as well.
Overall, the item is in fantastic shape. The paper and tape have some minor aging and discoloration, which is expected for an item over 50 years old. But the tape is still firmly attached, and the film/text/signature look clean and bold. This has been kept in an archival sleeve out of sunlight, so there's no fading or damage. I don't think it's possible to find one much better than this. And in addition, I will include an acrylic magnetic frame, as shown in the photos. This is a perfect way to display the piece, and it will keep it well-protected during shipping.
This item will be sent via Registered Mail for US buyers, and International Priority for all others. I will also have the parcel fully insured. Thank you for viewing this listing!