A rare, autograph photograph of astronaut Neil Armstrong, captur during the iconic live broadcast of his historic first steps on the moon, is among the many important items discover in the estate of a long-time NASA aerospace engineer’s unique collection of U.S. space program memorabilia and historic artifacts.
His collection will be offer for the first time at a public auction in Los Angeles buy phone number list and online by Goldberg Coins & Collectibles (www.GoldbergCoins.com) on February 27, 2025.
“The remarkable estate of NASA NASA Engineer’s
Spacecraft Operator (ScO) Clark C. McClelland (1936–2021) includes a museum-quality collection of vintage, original photographs spanning nearly 40 space missions from the Mercury to Apollo programs along with rare astronaut autographs, aerospace contractors’ rocket models, and five American flags flown to the moon and back and a sixth flag carri earlier by John Glenn on his first mission in space,” said Freeman Fisher, Director of Manuscripts & Collectibles at Goldberg Coins & Collectibles.
“My father work on hundrs of mann and unmann U.S. missions during once you’ve allocat funds his 34 years (1958-1992) with NASA at Cape Canaveral in Florida,” recall Carrie Lane, one of McClelland’s daughters. “He also did projects at the Johnson Space Center in Texas and the secretive Area 51 in Nevada.”
McClelland’s son-in-law Russell Lane stat: “He lov our country, NASA, and the space program, and did everything he could to inspire the next generation about science, engineering, and space.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, McClelland serv as Unit Director for lack data the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena and collaborat with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). The auction also features items from his extensive library of space and UFO literature, spanning the late 1950s to the 1990s, along with personal papers documenting interviews with astronauts and reports on unidentifi anomalous phenomena (UAP) and extraterrestrial encounters.
Highlights of the more than 150 items in the auction include
– Rare, autograph photo: A sign image of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong during his historic “giant leap for mankind” on July 20, 1969, captur from the original video transmission of July 20, 1969.
– Apollo 11 crew portraits: Individually sign photographs of the mission’s three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins as well as several so-call “insurance-style covers.” These are postmark and autograph envelopes astronauts gave to their wives to sell to collectors in case of catastrophe.
– Challenger Memorabilia: Construction helmets worn by astronauts Francis R. (Dick) Scobee and Ellison S. Onizuka, both tragically lost in the 1986 Challenger explosion.
