Apollo 9 flown „Towel bag“ - ex McDivitt

Important note: This item is on consignment; only a bank wire transfer is accepted here. Shipping by FEDEX from Germany.

Apollo 9 Flown Utility Towel Bag – From the Personal Collection of Commander James McDivitt

This flown artifact is an Apollo 9 “Utility Towel Bag”, measuring approximately 8 x 12 inches, and used by Commander James McDivitt during the mission to store paper towels in the spacecraft. It comes directly from McDivitt’s personal collection and is accompanied by his signed certificate of authenticity.

Apollo 9 (March 3–13, 1969) was a critical milestone in the Apollo program, serving as the first crewed flight of the Lunar Module (LM) and a full test of the complete Apollo spacecraft in Earth orbit. Commanded by McDivitt, with Command Module Pilot David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot Rusty Schweickart, Apollo 9 carried out the first crewed separation and docking of the LM and Command Module, proving that astronauts could live and work inside the LM in space. These tests were essential to demonstrate that the spacecraft systems worked as intended—laying the groundwork for Apollo 10’s dress rehearsal in lunar orbit and Apollo 11’s first Moon landing.

The towel bag is a reminder of the everyday necessities of life in space: astronauts needed such storage items to maintain order and cleanliness in the confined spacecraft environment. While seemingly humble, flown mission equipment like this bag directly reflects the lived experience of the Apollo crews as they prepared humanity for the Moon landings.

Key Features:

• Flown aboard Apollo 9 in March 1969

• Used by Commander James McDivitt for storing paper towels during the mission

• Approx. 8 x 12 inches in size

• From McDivitt’s personal collection

• Includes McDivitt’s signed Certificate of Authenticity

A unique flown artifact from the mission that proved the Lunar Module’s viability and ensured Apollo could reach the Moon.