Star navigation aid for lunar surface sold at auction for $218,000

A navigational chart used by Apollo 11 astronauts has become the unexpected star of an auction in New York City marking the 40th anniversary of man's first lunar landing.
Bonhams New York said that the lunar surface star chart sold Thursday for an astronomical $218,000. The tool, with a 9-inch (23-centimeter) diameter, had been expected to bring in $70,000 to $90,000.
The device consists of two plastic discs riveted together. The lower disc shows Earth, the sun, planets and star patterns against a black background. The upper disc is a semi-transparent overlay that could be turned to calculate position.

The historic mission of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin began exactly 40 years earlier, on July 16, 1969, and came to a climax on July 20 with the moon landing. In a letter accompanying the sale item, Aldrin wrote that "this star chart was the single most critical navigational device we used while on the moon."
Among the expected highlights of the auction were three checklists from the landing's descent. Signed by Aldrin, the lot had been estimated to fetch $125,000 to $175,000. But the checklists failed to sell.
The sale contained about 350 items from a variety of space missions.

NASA prevented space shuttle Discovery & ready for launch

Nasa ready for launch after repair..After two days of repairs to a faulty hydrogen vent line, mission managers give the go for shuttle Discovery to launch Sunday night.


NASA still doesn't know what caused a hydrogen gas leak that prevented space shuttle Discovery from flying earlier this week.

But officials are hopeful that repairs have solved the problem, and that Discovery will blast off Sunday evening. Good weather is forecast.

Discovery is more than a month late for its scheduled trip to the international space station. First, hydrogen gas valves inside the shuttle had to be double- and triple-checked. Then on Wednesday, hydrogen gas began leaking during fueling where a vent line hooks up to the external fuel tank.

Workers have replaced that hookup and a pair of seals. Nothing obvious was wrong with the removed parts.

Discovery and seven astronauts are set to carry up one last set of solar wings for the space station.