Vintage NASA Astronaut Signed Picture Joe H. Engle STS-1 X-15 (Autopen) 1960s

Description: Check out our store under the "Aviation & Space" category for other similar astronaut pictures and save on shipping! Estate sale find, vintage original autopen signed picture of NASA Astronaut Joe H. Engle. Joe Henry Engle (born August 26, 1932) is an American pilot, aeronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut. He was the commander of two Space Shuttle missions including STS-2 in 1981, the program's second orbital flight. He also flew three flights in the Shuttle program's 1977 Approach and Landing Tests. Engle is one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. As an X-15 pilot, Engle made three flights above 50 miles, thus qualifying for astronaut wings under the American convention for the boundary of space. In 1966 he was selected for NASA's fifth Astronaut Group, joining the Apollo program. He was the backup Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) for Apollo 14 and originally scheduled as LMP for Apollo 17. However, cancellation of later flights prompted NASA to select geologist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt as LMP, displacing Engle. Engle was one of 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966.[10] He served on the support crew for Apollo 10. Following this assignment, he was backup Lunar Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission. He was due to land on the Moon as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 17, but was replaced by geologist Harrison Schmitt. This was a result of pressure from the scientific community to have a scientist (geologist) explore the Moon, and not just test pilot engineers who had been given geology training. In response to getting bumped from the mission, he said "When you think about it, the lunar missions were geology-oriented." According to Engle, Deke Slayton asked him whether he would prefer to fly on Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, or the Space Shuttle; Engle responded that he would prefer the Shuttle as it was an airplane. Engle was commander of one of the two crews that flew the Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Test Flights from June through October 1977. The Space Shuttle Enterprise was carried to 25,000 feet on top of the Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, and then released for its two-minute glide flight to landing. In this series of flight tests, Engle evaluated the Orbiter handling qualities and landing characteristics, and obtained the stability and control, and performance data in the subsonic flight envelope for the Space Shuttle. He was the backup commander for STS-1, the first orbital test flight of Space Shuttle Columbia. Together with pilot Richard Truly he flew as commander on the second flight of the Space Shuttle, STS-2, becoming the last NASA rookie to command a spaceflight until Raja Chari in 2021 on SpaceX Crew-3. He was also mission commander on STS-51-I and logged over 225 hours in space. When the seven Mercury astronauts were announced to the world in 1959, they were almost immediately deluged by autograph requests. They received so much fan mail that it became practically — if not actually — impossible to respond to it all. Instead of ignoring the letters, NASA decided to employ the use of a machine that would allow secretaries and mail room assistants to apply pen-drawn autographs to astronaut photos and other mailed-in items. The "autopen" relied on a pattern, referred to as a matrix, that the machine would trace. These patterns, for which each astronaut may and often did have several different styles, began with an authentic signature. The machine's operator would select the type of pen and manually feed the item to be signed. As this was a mechanical process the results were not as smooth as an authentic signature. Still, to the untrained eye, autopen autographs appear to be real. As they were based on authentic signatures, the autopen could be passed off easier than an attempt by a secretary to forge the astronaut's handwriting. NOTE - Autopens come to an abrupt halt at the end of a letter and frequently leave a noticeable spot of ink at the ends of letters and words. In addition the lines of the Autopen are typically of the same thickness. The item measures approximately 8" X 10", approximate shipping weight 4 ounces. PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - AS IS - NOT AUTHENTICATED - MORE THAN LIKELY AN AUTOPEN SIGNATURE - The item appears to be in overall Fair to Good Minus used condition, signs of wear, creases, fading, tears, chipping, sunning and age toning, soiling, stains, writing, no odors, please see images. (C1A3-202)

Price: 31.34 USD

Location: Bakersfield, California

End Time: 2024-12-03T18:00:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD