Apollo 13 Checklist On Auction

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An auction in Manhattan on April 13 will feature an annotated checklist used to power down damaged parts of Apollo 13, other space memorabilia and a complete 93-year-old Curtiss MF flying boat. The auction by Bonhams will be held on the 40th anniversary of the oxygen tank explosion that nearly killed three astronauts while they were halfway to the moon and includes notes made by the crew just after the tank blew up, heavily damaging the service module of the spacecraft. The checklist is expected to fetch up to $30,000. The flying boat, a demilitarized version of the F model used by the U.S. Navy, will be on public display starting April 3 at Sculpture Garden Atrium at 590 Madison Ave.

The flying boat was an upgraded version of the Navy surplus plane with bigger engines and more creature comforts. It spent its civilian life in Cleveland and flew regularly until about 1945. The owner, William H. Long, refurbished and donated it to a museum. In recent history it has been at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland but has been retired from public view. It’s expected to fetch from $300,000 to $500,000.

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