Extremely desirable large flown American flag carried into lunar orbit during the Apollo 10 mission, 18.5″ x 11.5″, signed and flight-certified in black ballpoint, “Flown to the moon on Apollo X, May 1969, Tom Stafford.” Includes a letter of provenance signed “Thomas P. Stafford,” written on his personal stationery, which reads: “Accompanying this letter is one of the largest United States flags ever taken to the Moon. I carried this flag on the flight of Apollo X during May 18 to 26, 1969…During our flight home, we reached a speed of 24,791 nautical miles per hour or the equivalent of 28,528 statute miles per hour. No other Apollo crew matched or exceeded this speed, therefore John, Gene, and I traveled faster than any other human. And of course no other flag carried on any other space mission has matched or exceeded the speed attained by this flag during the flight of Apollo X. This flag has been in my personal possession since my return from the Moon.” Both are mounted with a photo of the CM Charlie Brown to a display mat measuring 20 x 24. In fine condition. A patriotic extension from one of the Apollo program's most significant missions, one long considered the 'dress rehearsal' for the first moon landing. This flag orbited the moon a total of 31 revolutions and traveled nearly 830,000 miles during its eight-day voyage before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere at a world-record speed of 24,791 mph, or Mach 36—making it the fastest large US flag ever flown. An incredible flown flag made all the more desirable for its rock-solid provenance and unusually large size.
