Astronauts Launch Charity Auction

As NASA counts down to the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery; legendary astronauts launch their own mission - raising scholarship money through a prestigious online auction of their personal, space memorabilia and one-on-one adventures with them! Famed astronauts such as Apollo 13’s Jim Lovell, Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin and first Space Shuttle Pilot Robert Crippen, to name a few, have donated items for the out-of-this-world auction, which raises funds for scholarships provided by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).

Who: More than 50 astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs

What: Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s Semi-Annual Auction of Astronaut Experiences and Memorabilia

Featured lots include:

Astronaut Experiences

• An art lesson from Moonwalker and renowned artist, Alan Bean, one of only 12 men to have walked on the moon

• A SCUBA Dive adventure in the Florida Keys with Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden

• Dinner with Gemini and Apollo Astronaut Thomas Stafford in historic Cape Canaveral, FL

• Attend one of only nine remaining Space Shuttle launches with veteran Space Shuttle Astronaut Fred Gregory

• And More!

Artifacts

• Rare Apollo 11 Cachet autographed by the entire crew: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins

• Apollo 16 Lunar Dusted Equipment Netting used by Charlie Duke on the moon

• Astronaut Silverware used in space on the United States first space station – Skylab

• Space Shuttle Flown Brake

• And More!

When: Auction Catalog and Bidding Registration opens online today! Bidding Open: April 9-18, 2009

Where: www.astronautscholarship.org/auction.pl

Why: To benefit the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, a non-profit organization, which provides scholarships to college students who exhibit motivation, imagination, and exceptional performance in the science or engineering field of their major. ASF funds nineteen $10,000 scholarships annually and has awarded more than $2.6 million to students nationwide. For more information, log on to www.AstronautScholarship.org or call 321-455-7012.