Buzz Aldrin Autographs (post 58)

After Apollo 11, I sent launch and recovery envelopes to Buzz Aldrin but, as expected, I received back autopen signatures (the crew was inundated with thousands of autograph requests).  Twenty years later,  in 1989, Buzz was kind enough to inscribe for free an Apollo 11 crew litho to my young son Adam. However, he soon started charging increasing autograph fees for signatures.  I decided to have him sign a few key items in 2000 since by then Armstrong had stopped giving autographs, as did Mike Collins for a while. So I sent my Apollo 11 flight plan and press kit, as well as a lunar orbit map, paying $100 each. I thought that was expensive at the time, but at the most recent Spacefest Aldrin’s base fee was $600 per signature—and there was still a line to get his autograph!

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #58 

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/

 

Neil Armstrong autographs part 2 (Post 60)

 

One of my most prized Neil Armstrong autographs is a rare Apollo 11 “insurance cover” signed by the crew when the three were in quarantine before the launch. These covers, with a Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club or Dow Unicover cachet, were produced to help the astronaut’s families in case the astronauts did not come back. They could not get standard commercial life insurance because of the risks of their jobs, and though they did have some insurance through their Life Magazine contracts, sales of the “insurance covers” were designed to supplement those funds in case of tragedy. I was able to buy this insurance cover for $350 in the 1980’s from noted space collector and space cover dealer Ken Havekotte. The price was reduced due to the poor quality of the Houston postmark on this one. These rare covers go for as much as $5,000 now. (Thanks, Ken!). With all the forgeries of Apollo 11 crew signatures, these “insurance covers” have the best possible provenance as to their authenticity.

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #60 

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/

 

Neil Armstrong autographs. part 1 (post 59)

The situation with Neil Armstrong’s autograph is more complex. While a genuine autograph of the First Man may now cost $1,000 or more, until 1994 Neil Armstrong was among the most generous of signers among the astronauts. It is estimated that he may have signed over 100,000 autographs up until the 25^th Anniversary of the Moonlanding, in 1994 when he stopped giving any autographs (with very rare exceptions). My first Armstrong signature was after Gemini 8 in 1966 when I sent to him a NASA photo of the Agena liftoff which he inscribed to me (Dave Scott was added years later). I knew that after Apollo 11 Armstrong would be swamped with autograph requests so I was not surprised that my first request for signed launch and recovery covers would come back with autopen signatures. I waited a few months and sent him one of the envelopes I had postmarked at the Cape Canaveral Post Office for the July 20 landing. I was thrilled to get the cover back with his autograph in blue ballpen ink. A few years later he signed an Apollo 11 First Day Cover (which is now part of a display).

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #59 

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/

Autographed Apollo 11 souvenirs (post 57)

After returning home from the Cape, I went through a stack of papers containing a flight plan, press kit, public relations plan, lunar orbit maps, hundreds of pages of transcripts, industrial folders and press releases. I also brought back some envelopes I had postmarked at the Cape Canaveral Post Office on the July 20 landing date. I had collected space memorabilia, including launch and recovery ship covers, since 1965 so I decided that, over time, I would try to get some of these items autographed by the crew. A few months after Apollo 11 came back, I wrote Mike Collins, sending him some of the “walkout” and parade pictures I had taken. I requested an autograph on a KSC launch cover with an official NASA cachet and on a recovery cover from the USS Hornet. It took a while, but not only did Collins sign the two envelopes, but he also sent a crew lithograph he inscribed to me (the Armstrong and Aldrin autographs are autopen (mechanical) signatures). This is one of my most cherished Apollo 11 souvenirs.

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #57  November, 1969 Events

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/

"New Worlds for Tomorrow" November, 1969 (post 56)

My Apollo 11 article appeared with the title “New Worlds for Tomorrow” in the November, 1969 issue of the American Red Cross Youth Journal (vol. 46, pg.  22-25). The first two pages had the title over an “Earthrise” image, and there were 5 other photo illustrations, including my “walkout” picture of the Apollo 11 crew and NASA images of Dr. George Mueller, the launch and the “Moonwalk.” An Editor’s note: “David S. Chudwin officially covered the flight of Apollo 11 for several college publications and for the JOURNAL. He is l9 years old, a sophomore at the University of Michigan, and one of the editors of the Michigan Daily, the student newspaper. Writing is one of his hobbies. He has been interested in the space program for over 10 years. His recollection of the flight of Apollo 11, and an interview he conducted with an official of the space program, seem appropriate in these last days before the flight of Apollo 12.”

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #56  November, 1969 Events

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/

Apollo 11 article accepted! (post 55)

One of the first rejection letters I received was from Readers’ Digest (not surprising because it was certainly a long shot). However, as more rejections came back, I despaired about my Apollo 11 article being published. However, in early September, 1969, I received this letter from Edgar Good from the American Red Cross Youth Journal offering me $125 for the manuscript and first publication rights ($812 in 2014 dollars). This would cover my $94.50 airfare and a little more so I quickly accepted. I had sent with the manuscript some  crude photographic copies of my best color slides. Then I waited to see how the first memoir of my trip would turn out (more in different formats would come later).

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #55  August-September, 1969 Events

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/

 

Writing an article to pay expenses (post 54)

I returned home from the Cape July 22, 1969 with a suitcase of Apollo 11 materials. My immediate plan was to sell a free-lance magazine article to help pay for my trip expenses (almost $300, which is $1,948 in 2014 dollars).  I began transcribing the tape-recorded interview I had on July 15 with Dr. George Mueller, NASA’s head of manned space flight. The main focus of the interview was the unease and opposition some young people at the time felt about space exploration (I had just turned 19 and I presented, as devil’s advocate, some of the negative views of my peers) . The second focus concerned future plans for space exploration. Dt. Mueller cogently discussed both of these issues. I wrote an article draft using the walkout of the astronauts as an introduction, followed by verbatim excerpts from the Mueller interview, and ending with a description of the Apollo 11 launch. I sent out an edited draft to 5 publications and awaited their verdicts.

#Apollo11Eyewitness  Post #54  August, 1969 Events

http://apollo11eyewitness-chudwin.blogspot.com/