Want a perfect copy of NASA’s Apollo 11 Flight Plan dossier, but don’t have the incredibly deep pockets needed to get one at auction?
A few years ago you would’ve been out of luck. Fortunately, in 2016, space-fans have found the hero they deserve in Alistair Moorby — the brains behind a successful Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund a perfect replica of the iconic mission’s dossier.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of what NASA achieved back in the 50s and 60s,” the Melbourne-based Moorby tells Digital Trends. “I went looking for a copy of the original flight plan that I could get printed and bound. Unfortunately, what I found was the original documents that had been scanned were not in condition to be printed. The pages were misaligned, text was worn out, and the graphics had suffered from transition to a digital format. So I decided to create a perfect copy that I could get printed for my own enjoyment.”
One thing led to another, and before Moorby knew what was happening he was hunting down the original fonts used for the 1969 dossier, and recreating its graphics from scratch; spending hours on each page of the 362-page document in stunning high-res. It was when he got about one-third of the way through the project — and had in his hands something that wouldn’t look out of place on a flight controller’s desk at mission control — when he decided others might be interested in having a piece of history for themselves.
Despite having 27 days left on the clock, the Apollo 11 Flight Plan Kickstarter has already blown past its original crowdfunding target — meaning that it will definitely (or as definitely as crowdfunding ever is) ship later this year. Those wishing to jump on board at this stage can get a finished copy for around $74 (converted from Australian dollars), with their choice of several binder designs, when it ships in December.
“One of the most challenging tasks has been finding suppliers who are able to produce the document that meets the extremely high expectations and standards of avid collectors,” Moorby says. “I am now happy to say that this task is complete, and the manufacturers have been confirmed for production of a truly perfect replica for every backer. I absolutely cannot wait to get these perfect reproductions to the fans of of the Apollo program.”
And, hey, bonus points for us for getting through this whole article without a pun about this Kickstarter achieving lift-off. (Edit: dammit, we were so close!)
