Vintage NASA Apollo Hard Hats Lee E Mountfort Vandenberg AFQA Lot of 2 for Sale

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Vintage NASA Apollo Hard Hats Lee E Mountfort Vandenberg AFQA Lot of 2 For Sale

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Vintage NASA Apollo Hard Hats Lee E Mountfort Vandenberg AFQA Lot of 2:
$399.99

VINTAGE NASA APOLLO & U.S. AIR FORCE WESTERN SPACE AND MISSILE CENTER HARD HATS — LOT OF TWONamed Lee E. Mountfort — Documented Apollo-Era NASA Quality Assurance EmployeeOffered together is a fascinating pair of vintage American aerospace hard hats, discovered stacked together at a small independent thrift store in Mesquite, Nevada.One helmet features the classic NASA insignia and the full name LEE E MOUNTFORT. The second bears the insignia of the U.S. Air Force’s Western Space and Missile Center, along with AFQA and handwritten LEM markings.Historical research has uncovered an especially interesting connection: Lee E. Mountfort is documented by name in original NASA Manned Spacecraft Center records from the Apollo era, including the Quality Assurance branches responsible for the Command and Service Module and Lunar Excursion Module.Both helmets are being offered together to preserve their possible shared history.HELMET #1 — NASA / JACKSON SAFETY CAP* Vintage off-white Jackson Safety Cap, Type SC-1
* Made in USA
* NASA insignia on front
* Red embossed “LEM” label beneath NASA insignia
* Red embossed “LEE E MOUNTFORT” name label on rear
* Original Jackson manufacturer’s label inside
* Federal Specification GGG-H-142c
* Vintage wear, scuffs and discoloration consistent with ageHELMET #2 — WESTERN SPACE AND MISSILE CENTER / NORTON* Vintage blue Norton Model 69 hard hat
* Made in USA
* Western Space and Missile Center insignia on front
* Red embossed “AFQA” label above insignia
* Handwritten “LEM” on interior manufacturer’s label
* Additional interior sticker marked “132” and “LEM,” with faint markings possibly indicating January 22, 1981
* Molded ANSI Z89.1-1969 and Z89.2-1971 specifications
* Interior date indicator appears consistent with an early-1980s production period, although the date has not been independently verified
* Significant structural cracking in blue shell — clearly shown in photographsHISTORICAL RESEARCH — LEE E. MOUNTFORTOriginal NASA personnel records identify a Lee E. Mountfort working at the Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center) during the Apollo program.September 1964: Listed in NASA’s Space News Roundup among personnel in the Quality Assurance Division.January 1966: Listed in the Quality Assurance–C&SM Branch, associated with the Apollo Command and Service Module.September 1966: Listed in the Quality Assurance–LEM Branch, associated with the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module.April 1967: Again listed in the Quality Assurance–LEM Branch, office code RE5, telephone extension 5644.These records are particularly noteworthy because quality assurance was an essential part of the Apollo spacecraft development and testing program.The Western Space and Missile Center was a U.S. Air Force organization at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, operating under that designation from 1979 to 1991.The “AFQA” marking on the blue helmet may refer to Air Force Quality Assurance, although its precise meaning on this helmet has not been independently verified.HISTORICAL REFERENCESResearch includes:* NASA Space News Roundup, September 30, 1964
* NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Telephone Directory, January 1966
* NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Telephone Directory, September 1966
* NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Telephone Directory, April 1967Copies of relevant historical directory entries and research references can be included with the purchase.CONDITIONBoth helmets are vintage, pre-owned items showing wear from age and previous use.The off-white NASA helmet displays surface wear, scuffs and discoloration.The blue Western Space and Missile Center helmet has substantial cracking in the shell. It is offered strictly as a historical display collectible.Please examine all photographs carefully for condition, markings, labels and construction details.Neither helmet is suitable for use as protective safety equipment.Sold together as one lot of two vintage aerospace collectibles.A distinctive opportunity for collectors of NASA memorabilia, Apollo-era history, aerospace engineering, Cold War aviation, Vandenberg Air Force Base and American space-program artifacts.