Highly unusual museum-style display, measuring 18.25 x 12.25, featuring a swatch of fabric from the DWC New Orleans that was carried on Gemini 8, along with a CSM-shaped glossy photo of the crew, signed in black felt tip by Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott. Affixed to the left side is a mostly indistinguishable mimeographed copy of a 1967 letter by Scott, with the last paragraph reading: "Thank you again for all your patience and consideration in giving us the opportunity to take the 'New Orleans' on a second flight. If there is any way we can support the Museum on future flights please don't hesitate to let us know." The caption on the mount next to the affixed swatch reads: "Fabric from DWC 'New Orleans,' one of the first two airplanes to circumnavigate the earth, April-September 1924. This item again circled the earth aboard Gemini VIII during which the world's first docking between two spacecraft was performed on March 16, 1966." In very good to fine condition, with cracks to the fabric swatch, toning to edges from prior display, and the copy of Scott's letter significantly stained and faded. As a tribute to past achievements in aviation, the Gemini 8 astronauts carried several artifacts on their flight: fabric and wood from the Douglas World Cruiser 'New Orleans,' a map of Floyd Bennett Field, and Jimmy Mattern's wristwatch from his 1932 attempt at the first around-the-world flight. In addition to the remarkable flown relic, this display boasts an extremely desirable crew-signed photo—one of just a handful of Armstrong-Scott dual-signed examples that we have encountered.
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