A printed Apollo 11 Final Flight Plan, dated July 1, 1969, bound by two rings, measuring 8.5 x 11, belonging to test pilot and ABC News analyst Bob Rahn, was at the studio as Apollo 11 approached the first lunar landing. Rahn helped North American Aviation design the command module, and even oversaw the Apollo 11 command module Columbia being attached to the Saturn V rocket. Rahn has made notations along most of the timeline of the mission, including the lunar landing and splashdown as he watched and listened to transmissions from the CDR, LMP, CMP, and Houston. One blank page in the timeline features a full page of notes of the actual landing including “Go for landing…1201 alarm. Picking up dust drifting rt. Contact lt. on. Eng. Stop. ‘Houston Tranquility Base here. Eagle has landed’ Land 102:45:40. Auto target to football field size crater. Had to take over manual.” A notation of a conversation between Collins and mission control states after LM separation “Unable to see LM probably looking in wrong area.” Rahn writes a large amount of notes about the docking of the two spacecraft after leaving the moon, as well as preparations for the return to Earth. Two full pages of notes on Columbia’s reentry, splashdown, and astronaut recovery are at the end of the timeline, with notations including “Visual contact 1223:45. Hornet vis contact…Splashdown. Stable II.…Collins—our condition is ok. Take your time. Swimmers in water 1303…Transferring BIGS to crew 1321. 1st Astro emerging 1329…First astro in sling 1351…Helicopter on carrier 1358:55. Crew out heli. In Mobile Contain Unit 1407.” In fine condition, with scattered soiling to covers and expected handling wear. Accompanied by a hardcover copy of Rahn’s memoir, Tempting Fate, as well as an unsigned vintage AP photo of Rahn. This exact copy of the flight plan is mentioned in his memoir. Rahn wrote: “One of my prized possessions is a detailed flight plan upon which I had written all the chit chat between Neil and Buzz Aldrin and the flight controllers. It started at 40,000 feet on the descent to the moon when Buzz was calling out the last 1,600 feet as a co-pilot would on an instrument approach. I was really sweating...And I didn’t stop sweating until he said, ‘Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed.” A well-detailed eyewitness account of some of the most important and nerve-racking moments of the mission. RRAuction COA.
