White, lacy-edged linen handkerchief carried into lunar orbit on Apollo 14, 8.75˝ x 8.5˝, signed and flight-certified in blue ballpoint, "Flown to the Moon Aboard the 'Kitthawk,' Edgar Mitchell, Apollo 14 LMP, (lunar dust tended to make us sneeze)." In fine condition, with a central fold.
The Apollo astronauts found that lunar dust is highly abrasive and clings to everything it touches—many experienced irritation to their eyes and respiratory systems after exposure to the fine particles, resulting in what Apollo 17 moonwalker Harrison Schmitt called 'lunar hay fever.' From sneezing to nasal congestion, in some cases it took days for the reactions to fade. Although most of the lunar dust was too fine to be filtered through the ventilation/LiOH system, the Apollo 14 astronauts found that a vacuum cleaner, introduced as on-board equipment for their mission, satisfactorily cleared larger particles. Mitchell and Shepard used the vacuum to assist in removing lunar dust from suits and equipment prior to intravehicular transfer from the Lunar Module to the Command Module after lunar surface operations, and for cleanup in the Command Module.
Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Karlyn Mitchell, the daughter of Edgar Mitchell.
