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Uncommon Apollo Command Module In-Flight Coverall Garment (ICG) trousers built for astronaut Donn F. Eisele, with tag sewn inside the waistband reading: "Coverall, Trousers, BW-1061-001, Size: M.L. S/N: 1106, Subject: Eisele, Contract No. NAS9-8309, Date of Mfg.: 3-6-69, Mfg. By: B. Welson Co." The trousers feature a snap-adjustable elastic waistband with double-snap closure, zippered fly, and large pouch cargo pockets toward the ankles.
The In-Flight Coverall Garment was developed by NASA to offer far more flexibility than the bulky spacesuit, so astronauts changed into these after launch to be more comfortable during their long flight. These ICG trousers, manufactured after Eisele's Apollo 7 flight, were likely used as a training or test article. Eisele served as backup CMP for the Apollo 10 flight in May 1969, before resigning from the Astronaut Office in 1970. In very good condition, with moderate scattered staining throughout.
Accompanied by a copy of a letter of provenance explaining the origin of the trousers, in part: "In 1969 my grandfather, Richard Welch Jr., who was a retired U.S. Marine, was in civil service working at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He worked in the logistics division overseeing shipping, receiving, and on-site delivery operations for the government…My grandfather brought home these boots, the jacket and pants. When asked how he got all that stuff my grandfather replied, 'There was a big bin of items that were slated to be destroyed and his manager told him, along with a few other workers that they were welcome to take home a few souvenirs.'" Welch went on to oversee the refurbishment of the presidential aircraft fleet performed by E-systems, worked on the development of Blackhawk helicopters in Alabama, and served as program manager for the Eastern Space and Missile Center.
