Early original draft schematic for Mercury ‘Capsule 18’ (otherwise known as the Aurora 7 spacecraft) attested to as deriving from the personal collection of Scott Carpenter by Farthest Reaches, 25.5 x 12.5, which consists of a printed overhead view of the Mercury console control panels, with many of the parts and gauges annotated and highlighted with bright colored pencil. The lower right border is marked in graphite, “2. Size per sketch to left. 1. Use tapes No. 471 & 474 (scotch) notes, MCC-0448, Sht. 2,” and signed by two NASA personnel. In fine condition, with vertical and horizontal folds. Accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity from Farthest Reaches owner Stephen Hankow, who notes that the schematic “comes from the Scott Carpenter Family Collection…This is an exceptionally rare and early look [of] what would eventually become the cockpit of Capsule 18.” An impressive engineer's working schematic from the collection of a Mercury 7 astronaut—original schematic drafts from such an important and early period are quite rare, with this example being all the more desirable for its display value and famous Aurora 7 owner.
