Apollo 15 Drill, James Madison Book, Fantasia Cel Highlights at RR Auction

BOSTON, MA - (December 8, 16) A drill chuck used by Commander Dave Scott on the lunar surface during his three historic moonwalks of the Apollo 15 mission sold for $49,000 according to Boston-based RR Auction.

The Apollo Lunar Surface Drill was a necessary piece of equipment for two of the mission’s experiments: the Heat Flow Experiment, and the deep drill core; both of which required the successful operation of the drill chuck.

“The scientific objective of the deep core drill was to obtain a 10-foot core of lunar materials for analysis of thermal properties and stratigraphic composition of the upper surface of the Moon,” said Scott in a letter included in the sale.

“The drill was used to insert a deep core tube into the surface near the probes of the Heat Flow Experiment, to collect lunar material from the surface down to a depth of ten feet.”

Results from the experiments concluded that the Moon, was far more radioactive than previously thought, bore a significant stratigraphic history, revealing a total of 58 individual layers in the deep core sample.

“It was an essential artifact related to some of the most substantial and important lunar surface findings of the Apollo program,” said Robert Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction.

Highlights from the sale include, but are not limited by:

Mickey Mouse production cel and production background from Fantasia, sold for $54,878.

Dave Scott’s Lunar Surface-used Rover ‘Bearing Map,’ sold for $49,000.

James Madison signed book from his personal collection, sold for $26,043.

Albert Einstein signed and inscribed vintage portrait, sold for $20,212.

CIAM/NASA complete aerodynamic wind tunnel test model, sold for $10,760.

The Autographs, Artifacts & Animation from RR Auction began on November 17 and concluded on December 7. For information, visit the RR Auction web site at www.rrauction.com.