The space boots, of the style used by Shepard during his time at NASA, are made of a shiny metallic silver and foil-like material. They feature zippers, criss-cross laces, and rubber soles. They are clearly handmade, and both boots are for the right foot.The boots have zippers on the tongues, the backs, and around the top. The top zippers allow the boots to be integrated into the spacesuit, meaning that the bottom of the astronaut's pants attaches to the top of the boots for safety reasons.
Each boot was designed to have two sets of criss-cross laces on either side of the zippered tongue. Please note that the boots offered only come with one shoelace. The other three shoelaces are missing. The soles of the boots are made of black rubber and feature raised heels. The traction pattern is constructed of little circles. The boots contain # 10 and # 10 D in ballpoint pen. This is a reference to the size, which is a size 10 with a D width. "Shepard" and the number "4" appear inside one boot, inscribed by an unknown hand in a ballpoint pen. The boots are well-worn, containing multiple stains on the inside, with chipping of the material evident across each boot, with pronounced chipping on the toe boxes and heels.
The boots are accompanied by a Letter of Provenance from Sandra Yost, whose grandfather, Richard Welch Jr., served as a Program Manager for Eastern Space and Missile Center, with Cape Canaveral under his supervision. In the letter, Yost attests to the provenance of these NASA boots by stating, "When asked how he got all that stuff my grandfather replied, 'There was a big bin of items that were slated to be destroyed and his manager told him, along with a few other workers that they were welcome to take home a few souvenirs," with the collection inherited by Yost after her grandfather's passing.
posted 07-30-2024 10:58 AM
advertisement