AMAZING AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE FULLY SIGNED CHALLENGER PHOTOGRAPH WITH IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE FROM FAMED NASA SPACE SUIT TECHNICIAN
Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-51-L) Crew-Signed Color Photo. A 10″ x 8″ NASA color lithographed print of the crew of STS-51-L posing in their blue flight suits with a printed caption on the verso, signed by all seven of the crew as follows: “To Al Rochford – Many thanks for the great crew equipment and “Strap in” “El Onizuka“; “S. Christa McAuliffe“; “Greg Jarvis“; “Judy Resnik“; “Mike Smith“; “Dick Scobee“; and “Ron McNair“. These six astronauts and one teacher lost their lives when the Challenger broke apart just seventy-three seconds after lift-off on January 28, 1986. This disaster led to a two and one-half year grounding of the Shuttle program.
Signed crew photos from this mission are rare and desirable. This one is in near pristine condition and deserving of placement in any advanced collection.
Alan M. Rochford was a Space Suit Technician, Crew Systems Division (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle Programs), hence the inscription,”Many thanks for the great crew equipment and “Strap in”. An uncommon and bittersweet photo of those lost in the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. Also included are several official NASA laminated badges issued to Rochford including “Health Stabilization Program Primary Contact”, “STS 61. ID “, “Area Badge Flight Research Center”.”Apollo/ Saturn Area Permit”, “Shuttle Barrier Test Badge”, “Kennedy Space Center STS-LACB Badge”, “Johnson Space Center Crew Escape Systems Badge” and many others, reflecting the storied career of the recipient of this prized photograph,
