Liberty Bell 7 Flown Titanium Plate #2

A genuine 1-inch piece of genuine Mercury Liberty Bell 7 capsule titanium structural plate from Recovery Expedition team leader Curt Newport's collection. The capsule, and by extension, this plate, sat at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for 38 years until Newport and his team recovered it.

In stock

Archive Id LB7-TSA-02

DESCRIPTION

Flown aboard the Liberty Bell 7 Mission in July 1961

A genuine 1-inch piece of titanium structural plate from Mercury Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft attached to an 8x10 mission photograph. This titanium structural assembly was recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean 38 years after the splashdown. On 21st July 1961, astronaut Gus Grissom's spacecraft was launched from the pad on top of a Mercury-Redstone 4 rocket in a mission that would last 15 minutes and 36 seconds and almost end in disaster. After the spacecraft splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, the hatch cover accidentally blew, despite being designed to release in an emergency, and suddenly, Grissom found his spacecraft filling with water and at risk of sinking to the bottom of the ocean with him in it. Grissom exited the spacecraft only to find his own spacesuit filling with water due to an oxygen valve being left open. He also began to be weighed down by the water filling his suit while the recovery crew tried to secure the sinking spacecraft. Fortunately for Grissom, the recovery team released the spacecraft, allowing it to sink to the bottom of the ocean, and rescued him just in time.

Product Information:

  • Flown metal measures approx. 1-inch
  • Attached to an 8x10-inch mission photograph
  • Includes a copy of Recovery Expedition team leader Curt Newport's letter of authenticity
  • Includes a Certificate of Authenticity from The Space Collective
  • Sealed and easily removed from a clear protective 8" x 10" toploader

Authenticity Information:

This artifact came directly from the collection of Recovery Expedition team leader Curt Newport and is accompanied by a copy of his signed letter of authenticity, which states: “I certify that this titanium structural bracket from Liberty Bell 7 was gifted to me by the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center (KCSC) and is from my personal collection.”

Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity:

All of our artifacts are thoroughly and extensively researched before being listed for sale, so much so that we're proud to offer a lifetime guarantee of authenticity for this and other artifacts listed throughout our website. We also hold a record of every piece we sell which can be identified and searched in our online database using the serial number listed on your certificate of authenticity.