Flown space suit from ISS expedition 6 is estimated to sell for $25,000–35,000. Image courtesy Bonhams
Last month, British astronaut Tim Peake returned to Earth after a 6-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), working alongside NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Vokov, Mikhail Kornienko and Yuri Malenchenko, in scientific experiments surrounding human life in orbit. While such cooperation between Russia and the US may sound bizarre, historically the two nations have been closely tied in space exploration, something that Bonhams auction house in New York looks to highlight in its upcoming Space History sale.
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“You can’t talk about the American space program without talking about the Soviet space program,” says Cassandra Hatton, Space History's director. “There’s a variety of items that relate to both programs, including flown hardware from Soviet missions and items related to the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. That can be hardware, spacesuits, scientography medallions, or models.”The 289 lots on offer, ranging from estimates of $150 to $90,000, include a full-scale model of Sputnik—the first satellite sent into space, which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.
A full-scale vintage model of Sputnik 1
“It was a model that was used to test for electromagnetic interference,” Hatton tells The Creators Project. “They used this just before they launched the actual Sputnik. It still works. So if you wanted to launch your own satellite, you could, you just need to buy the rocket to go with it.”The debut of Sputnik marked the first achievement in the Space Race, a 1955 arms-like competition between the Soviet Union and the US over who could reach space first. Sparked in the midst of the Cold War, the push to beat one’s adversary meant triumphant advances in space technology from both sides—the Soviets making Yuri Gagarin the first human in space, and the Americans putting the first humans on the moon with Apollo 11 in 1969.
Soyuz 18 was a flown navigational celestial globe carried by Cosmonaught Pyotr Klimuk
Many of these Space Race moments—which continued until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991—are demonstrated through the various pieces found at the Bonhams sale, where, according to Hatton, a lot of the material has been sourced from previous Russian space-themed auctions held in the 90s.
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Flown Apollo 11 Flight Plan Sheet signed by NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin
“A lot of the American items are either consigned directly by astronauts or they were sold directly by astronauts to collectors,” explains Hatton. “Everything has really great provenance.”Provenance—proof of ownership—is a vital component to any space memorabilia sale, as selling a US piece legally requires a letter from the astronaut who took personal mementos from their intergalactic voyage. Items carrying no provenance typically result in a federal lawsuit, like in 2011 when Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell tried to sell a moon-flown camera. While Mitchell, who died earlier this year, lost the case, in 2012, President Obama signed new legislation allowing full ownership of any space artifacts collected by Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts.
Spacesuit development astronaut hand casts used in making the spacesuit gloves
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