A photograph of the Challenger shuttle signed by its crew is valued at $10,000-15,000 at RR Auction, with the sale due to close on December 9.
The photo was signed by the crew while they were in quarantine waiting to launch. It's inscribed to radio host Smilin' Jack Donovan.
 The crew of Challenger died when the shuttle exploded after takeoff |
All seven members of the crew were killed just a few hours later when the shuttle exploded after launch.
Donovan explained: "This photo was signed by the crew at the Kennedy Space Center while they were in quarantine waiting to launch.
"It was discovered in the crew quarters following the explosion and sent to me by a friend who was a member of NASA security and had requested the photo for me.
"It is inscribed to 'Smilin Jack,' which was my on-air radio name at the time the disaster occurred."
A space shuttle Multiplexer De-Multiplexer (MDM) dating to 1983 and used during testing is valued at $5,000-7,000.
The auction house explains: "MDMs were installed aboard each Space Shuttle orbiter and used to convert and format serial digital flight computer commands into separate parallel discrete, digital, and analog commands for vehicle hardware systems…
"This hardware was essential in reducing the complexity of wiring required between the various data nodes on the Shuttle orbiter."
You can check out our collection of space memorabilia for sale here.
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