Asteroid Institute

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Among the flown items in 's collection is something surprisingly personal: a cassette tape of his favorite classical pieces at the time.

was the first mission where astronauts were permitted to bring personal music into space, played on a portable cassette recorder carried for voice notes. Schweickart selected Hodie, a cantata by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Alan Hovhaness’s Mysterious Mountain symphony.

The story takes an unexpected turn from there. According to Schweickart, the tape went missing for much of the mission. Whether it was misplaced or quietly hidden by crewmates Jim McDivitt and Dave Scott (both known to prefer country music) has never been fully resolved.

It’s a reminder that even on one of the most important test flights of the Apollo program, there was still room for personality, humor, and a debate over the playlist. bids start June 17: https://bit.ly/4opGop0