Two small swatches of fabric attested to as being removed from the parachute of Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 capsule after it was recovered by the USS Lake Champlain in the North Atlantic Ocean on May 5, 1961. The swatches, both approximately .5″ x .5″, are affixed to an 8.5″ x 11″ presentation sheet prepared by Ricky Lanclos, with the lower border annotated: “From the collection of Ken Havekotte / SCCS,” who then signs and dates the sheet to November 6, 2010. Included is a copy of a letter from Harold French, a NASA telemetry technician who affirms that the parachute “was hoisted and hung in the hangar bay for several days. The people involved in the project were then given permission to lower the parachute and cut it into sections for souvenirs.” In fine condition.
![Lot #4011 Freedom 7 Flown Parachute Fragments [Attested to as Flown] - Image 1](https://d2skn5554g4boz.cloudfront.net/content/images/594/larger/3434813_1.jpg)