Lot 119
FLOWN ON APOLLO 12—ALAN BEAN'S FAVORITE MEAL
21 April 2015, 10:00 EDT
New YorkUS$50,000 - US$80,000
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FLOWN ON APOLLO 12—ALAN BEAN'S FAVORITE MEAL
FLOWN assembly of Apollo 12 spoons and dehydrated food, comprising: (1) two 1.5 x 7 Inch Oneida Community brand stainless steel dinner spoons marked "ALAN L. BEAN APOLLO 12 LMP" and NASA logo, each with .75 inch blue square Velcro patch attached to handle; (2) one 11.5 x 3 inch translucent pouch containing peaches, plastic nozzle with black band, paper label reading "9293 PEACHES 3 oz. cold water 15-20 minutes" with "WSD 15" stamp and .75 inch Velcro patch; (3) one 14 x 3 inch translucent pouch containing grapefruit mix, plastic nozzle with black band, paper label reading "ORANGE – 9288 GRAPEFRUIT DRINK 7 oz. cold water 2-5 minutes" with "WSD 15" stamp and .75 inch Velcro patch; (4) one 7 x 4 inch translucent pouch containing spaghetti, plastic nozzle with black band, paper label reading "9291 SPAGHETTI WITH MEAT SAUCE 3 oz. hot water 5-10 minutes" with "WSD 15" stamp and two .75 inch Velcro patches. Mounted together in a gilt wood frame. With an Autograph Letter Signed by ALAN BEAN on his personal illustrated letterhead.
ALAN BEAN'S handwritten provenance letter reads: "I hereby certify that the spoons and food were with me on my Apollo 12 mission. The spoon with the little Velcro tab (to keep it from floating away) was the one I used to eat all my meals in the command module. The other spoon I used in the lunar module on the Ocean of Storms. I wanted to be the first human to eat spaghetti on the moon as it was, and is my favorite food so I asked our food team to pack two first meals on the Moon for me. I ate one after Pete and I landed, and returned this same one back to Earth."
The meals on Apollo 12 were comprised of more than 70 items, ranging from rehydratable freeze-dried items, wet-pack and spoon-bowl foods and meals ready to eat. The food for the Apollo missions was prepared and packaged by the Whirlpool Corporation in conjunction with the U.S. Army Laboratory in Natick, Massachusetts. The wet-pack examples in this collection required the astronaut to inject water into the food bag using a water gun, then knead it for about three minutes to work the moisture into the food. The package would then be cut open with scissors and consumed.
ALAN BEAN'S handwritten provenance letter reads: "I hereby certify that the spoons and food were with me on my Apollo 12 mission. The spoon with the little Velcro tab (to keep it from floating away) was the one I used to eat all my meals in the command module. The other spoon I used in the lunar module on the Ocean of Storms. I wanted to be the first human to eat spaghetti on the moon as it was, and is my favorite food so I asked our food team to pack two first meals on the Moon for me. I ate one after Pete and I landed, and returned this same one back to Earth."
The meals on Apollo 12 were comprised of more than 70 items, ranging from rehydratable freeze-dried items, wet-pack and spoon-bowl foods and meals ready to eat. The food for the Apollo missions was prepared and packaged by the Whirlpool Corporation in conjunction with the U.S. Army Laboratory in Natick, Massachusetts. The wet-pack examples in this collection required the astronaut to inject water into the food bag using a water gun, then knead it for about three minutes to work the moisture into the food. The package would then be cut open with scissors and consumed.
Footnotes
"I WANTED TO BE THE FIRST HUMAN TO EAT SPAGHETTI ON THE MOON"—ALAN BEAN