Fred Haise – Apollo 16 training used checklist

Fred Haise — Apollo 16 Training-Used “Activation Procedures” Checklist, Signed and Annotated

Offered here is a two-sided Apollo 16 training-used checklist page, measuring approximately 6 x 8 inches, titled “Activation Procedures.” This checklist was used during training for the Apollo 16 mission and has been hand-signed by Apollo 13 Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise, who has also added a desirable annotation identifying his role as Apollo 16 Backup Commander.

Fred Haise is one of the most respected figures of the Apollo era. Best known as the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 13, Haise was originally intended to walk on the Moon before the mission was famously aborted following the oxygen tank explosion in April 1970. His performance during that crisis became part of one of NASA’s most dramatic survival stories. After Apollo 13, Haise continued in the astronaut corps and served as Backup Commander for Apollo 16, training in parallel with the prime crew of John Young, Charlie Duke, and Ken Mattingly.

Apollo training checklists were essential working documents, used by astronauts to rehearse and master spacecraft systems, procedures, and contingency operations. “Activation Procedures” checklists related to the critical steps required to bring spacecraft systems online and prepare them for use during mission operations. Training-used examples are highly collectible because they represent the practical, hands-on preparation behind each Apollo mission.

This piece is especially appealing due to its direct association with Fred Haise’s Apollo 16 backup assignment, its training-used status, and Haise’s own signature and mission-role annotation. A fine artifact connecting Apollo 13, Apollo 16, and the rigorous astronaut training program that supported NASA’s lunar exploration efforts.