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Lot 224
[Apollo 11] THE OFFICIAL EMBLEM OF APOLLO 11: the first mission to the surface of another world NASA, June 1969
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €435.20 inc. premium
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[Apollo 11] THE OFFICIAL EMBLEM OF APOLLO 11: the first mission to the surface of another world
NASA, June 1969
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-69-34875].
With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA S-69-34875" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This image showcases the official Apollo 11 mission insignia, one of the most recognizable emblems in space history, for many people as famous as the Moon-landing mission itself. Designed by astronaut Michael Collins and refined by NASA illustrator James Cooper, the patch features a bald eagle descending toward the lunar surface, with an olive branch in its talons to symbolize America's peaceful mission in space. Earth rises in the background, reinforcing that the Moon landing was an achievement on behalf of all humankind.
The absence of astronaut names was a deliberate choice, ensuring that the emblem represented the efforts of the entire Apollo program rather than just the three crew members. This mission patch became an iconic symbol of NASA's triumph in landing the first humans on the Moon on July 20, 1969, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's vision and marking one of humanity's greatest achievements.
"We felt Apollo 11 was no ordinary flight, and we wanted no ordinary design."
—Michael Collins (from his 1974 book Carrying the Fire)
Printed 1969.
Vintage chromogenic print on fibre-based Kodak paper [NASA image S-69-34875].
With NASA caption and "A Kodak Paper" watermark on the reverse, numbered "NASA S-69-34875" in red in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This image showcases the official Apollo 11 mission insignia, one of the most recognizable emblems in space history, for many people as famous as the Moon-landing mission itself. Designed by astronaut Michael Collins and refined by NASA illustrator James Cooper, the patch features a bald eagle descending toward the lunar surface, with an olive branch in its talons to symbolize America's peaceful mission in space. Earth rises in the background, reinforcing that the Moon landing was an achievement on behalf of all humankind.
The absence of astronaut names was a deliberate choice, ensuring that the emblem represented the efforts of the entire Apollo program rather than just the three crew members. This mission patch became an iconic symbol of NASA's triumph in landing the first humans on the Moon on July 20, 1969, fulfilling President John F. Kennedy's vision and marking one of humanity's greatest achievements.
"We felt Apollo 11 was no ordinary flight, and we wanted no ordinary design."
—Michael Collins (from his 1974 book Carrying the Fire)