Heritage Auctions – Space Exploration
June 14-15
View All Lots and Bid at HA.com/6292

DALLAS — A nearly catastrophic explosion derailed the Apollo 13 mission on its way to a planned lunar landing is the only reason its crew members’ names were not added to the list of 24 who have walked on the moon.

When the seventh crewed mission of the Apollo space program was launched April 11, 1970, from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the plan was that it would be the third to land on the lunar surface, putting crew members Fred W. Haise Jr, James A. Lovell Jr, and John L. Swigert Jr, on the same tier of universal identification as the likes of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. But about 56 hours after launch, and more than 200,000 miles from Earth, Haise was completing the shutdown of the lunar module when the crew members heard an explosion.

Communication back to Earth was lost for a couple of seconds. Swigert considered the fact that a meteoroid had struck the module, but it turned out an oxygen tank in the service module had ruptured, disabling the vessel’s electrical and life-support systems.

With oxygen in short supply, the decision was made to complete the loop around the moon, rather than forcibly changing direction in favor of a shorter path home. An impromptu change in plans shortened the return trip by about 36 hours, to a little over two days, ending in a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. President Richard Nixon canceled appointments and called the astronauts’ families and headed to NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Pope Paul VI led a congregation of 10,000 in prayer for the astronauts’ safe return. The US Senate passed a resolution urging businesses to pause at 9 pm. to allow employees to pray.

On-the-fly decisions and calculations by the crew and by the support crew on Earth resulted in the safe return, assisted by other nations at the landing site. An estimated 40 million Americans watched Apollo 13’s splashdown, which was carried live on all three networks. Jack Gould of the New York Times wrote that Apollo 13, “which came so close to tragic disaster, in all probability united the world in mutual concern more fully than another successful landing on the Moon would have.”

With a status among the most important in the history of the American space program, multiple items from Haise’s personal collection will touch down in Heritage’s Space Exploration Signature Auction June 14-15.

Among the top items in the Haise collection is a group of flown sterling silver Robbins from Apollo Missions 7 through 12.

Also from the Haise collection is an out-of-this-world trophy that he received from the famous astronauts who first landed on the moon: an Apollo 11 lunar surface-flown Beta cloth mission insignia presented by the three-man crew to Haise, who served as the Lunar Module pilot backup for the historic mission. This display includes a circular swatch (4-inch diameter) of Beta cloth with a mission insignia depicting an eagle carrying an olive branch to the moon, with Earth in the distance over the eagle’s right wing. Printed below the patch: “This emblem carried to the lunar surface/ July 20, 1969.” The patch is framed along with two 5-by-7-inch color photos of iconic images of the first lunar landing. Affixed to the frame is a metal plate that states: “Presented To/ Fred Haise/ In Appreciation For Your Service To Apollo 11/ From Neil, Mike, & Buzz.” Haise served as Aldrin’s backup for this mission.

Haise wore an Apollo 13 Recovery Ship USS Iwo Jima hat while aboard the USS Iwo Jima and to meet President Richard Nixon in Hawaii. The blue wool baseball-style cap, with yellow cloth bullion on the bill and embroidered “USS Iwo Jima/Astronaut/Haise/Apollo 13” on the front is the head covering he wore in the iconic recovery photos aboard the USS Iwo Jima after the flight and dangerous splash landing of Apollo 13. A facsimile of this hat crowns a statue of Haise and the Apollo 13 crew as part of a life-size sculpture that was unveiled at the Space Center in Houston in 2021.

The Haise collection is a remarkable assemblage, but definitely does not include all of the prizes that are available in the auction, among them a pair of lots from the Armstrong Family Collection that were aboard the two most significant flights in the history of aviation: an Apollo 11 lunar module flown piece of the Wright Flyer propeller and an Apollo 11 Lunar Module-flown section of the Wright Flyer’s wing fabric, Position No. 145. Each was a part of the first successful powered controlled flight in history at Kitty Hawk in 1903, and later was taken aboard Apollo 11 by Armstrong, who was allowed to retain a portion of the cloth and propeller pieces for his own collection.

Heritage is at 2801 West Airport Fwy Northwest corner of West Airport Freeway and, Valley View Lane. For information, 214-528-3500 or www.ha.com.

Flown Sterling Silver Robbins Medallions from Apollo Missions 7 Through 12, in Custom Acrylic Display, Directly from the Personal Collection of Fred Haise, with Signed Letter of Authenticity.
Apollo 13 Flown Silver Robbins Medallion, Serial Number 177, Originally from the Personal Collection Fred Haise with Signed Letter of Authenticity
Apollo 17 Lunar Module Flown “Lunar Surface Flight Plan” Originally from the Personal Collection of Mission Commander Gene Ceman, Signed & Certified on Each Page, with Signed Certificate of Authenticity
Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Flown Beta Cloth Mission Insignia Presented by the Three Man Crew to Mission Lunar Module Pilot Backup Fred’ Haise, in Framed Display, Directly from His Personal Collection
INQUIRIES: 877-HERITAGE (437-4824)
Brad Palmer I ext. 1185 I BradP@HA.com
Michael Riley I ext. 1467 I MichaelR@HA.com