A LARGE SCALE MODEL OF THE FRIENDSHIP 7 MERCURY CAPSULE

Lot 231
12.09.2024 00:00UTC +01:00
Classic
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1291229
Lot 231 | A LARGE SCALE MODEL OF THE FRIENDSHIP 7 MERCURY CAPSULE
Estimate value
$ 8 000 – 12 000
Hand-painted wood and metal model, on later custom base.

Nearly six foot tall vintage NASA model of the first manned American spacecraft to orbit the Earth.

Astronaut John Glenn became the first American to achieve orbital space flight on 20 February 1962. His spacecraft, the Friendship 7, was launched atop an Atlas rocket and orbited the Earth three times before splashing down in the North Atlantic. The original capsule was toured around the world in 1962 and is currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia.

This large model is meticulously constructed, the Friendship 7 capsule itself is hand-painted with its logo, "United States" and an American flag and good detail of the retro-rockets on the heat shield. It is surmounted by a red-painted metal escape tower, the original of which would have been jettisoned a couple of minutes after lift-off.
803/4 x 17 in. (105 x 43cm), including base
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
23.08.2024 – 12.09.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

?>