Space & Autographs Auction Space & Autographs Auction Jan. 2014 | Page 19

Rockets – RUSSIA – 36 1957-60 SOVIET SURFACE-TO-AIR ROCKET ENGINE ....................................................................................................... PH $10,000-15,000 Liquid propellant sustainer power plant, designed by rocket engine designer Alexei M. Isayev. Measures approximately 39x14x14", weighs about 140lb crated. Constructed of various alloys with various inspection marks, appears unfired. Alexei Isayev specialized in small-scale, liquid-fueled rocket engines for Soviet manned and unmanned spacecraft. From 1957 to 1967 his engines powered rockets carrying the first artificial satellites, the first man in space, and the first unmanned probes to the Moon and Venus. At the same time, in the 1950s, he was working on engines for surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and air-to-sea missiles. The present engine is for a S-75 Dvina, a high-altitude, command-guided SAM, and it has become the most widely-deployed air defense missile in history. The missile came to the world’s attention when it shot down the U-2 spy plane of Francis Gary Powers as he was flying over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960. Technically S-75 refers to the complete battery, the missile itself being known as a V-750. The missile is in two stages, consisting of a solid-fuel booster and a storable liquid-fuel upper stage. The booster fires for about 4 to 5 seconds and the main engine for about 22 seconds, by which time the missile is traveling at about Mach 3. The present engine is from the upper stage. This rocket engine is a version of the high-power rocket needed to reach the high-altitude U-2 spy planes. An important artifact of the Cold War, don’t know of any other in private hands! – ROCKET MAIL – 37 INDIA 1936-36 SOUVENIR OF ROCKET SKIN & TILJILLA CARD ........................................................................................................... PH $300-400 Two nice items: (1) Piece of rocket skin attached to card with description ‘A piece of the skin of my rocket which carried the Parcel mail from Surumisa to Ray in Sikkum on 10/4/35.’, signed Stephen H Smith, and (2) May 7, 1936 Tijilla Test Rocket #125 (E-Z 15C1) on thin orange paper/card, signed & numbered #26/33 by Stephen H Smith with all appropriate cachets/markings. Fine to very fine. Saint Louis, Missouri Space 1.pmd Aviation & Space Memorabilia 17 Page 17 11/27/2013, 2:56 PM