RARE "NASA Whistleblower" Ken Johnston Signed MARTIAN DOLLAR Todd Mueller COA For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

RARE "NASA Whistleblower" Ken Johnston Signed MARTIAN DOLLAR Todd Mueller COA:
$499.99

RalphKennedy Johnston(nowusing the forenameKen) is a retired aerospace worker, ex-US Marinecadet and so-called "NASAWhistleblower." His principal claim to fame within theNASA-hating community is that he refused to follow orders and destroy anextensive collection of 8×10" glossy photoprints from the Apollo program. Johnstonwas born in Corpus Christi,Texason 2 October 1942, and studied at Oklahoma City University. Heenlisted in the US Marines in August 1962 and reported to Pensacola,Floridaas a Marine cadet for flight training inSeptember 1964. He left the Marines in August 1966. As a qualified avionicstechnician, Johnston was hired by Grumman Aircraft, principal contractor forthe Apollo Lunar Module, to assist with cockpit and instrument development andtraining, in Houston. He has described his status at that time as a"civilian astronaut consultant pilot." From 1969 to 1972, during theApollo Program, he was employed by Brown & Root, principal contractors toNASA for management of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, where all the moon rockswere stored, curated, catalogued and in some cases distributed to scientistswho had successfully applied to carry out analysis in their own labs. Animportant part of Johnston's duty was to package and ship lunar samples toscience labs, together with photographs documenting their exact location andorientationin situ. As such, he had in his office several sets ofphotographs taken by Apollo astronauts with their chest-mounted Hasselbladcameras. When the moonrock distribution wound down, he was instructed by BudLaskawa, his boss, to destroy what remained of the photo archive, but he keptone set as a personal collection. Johnston applied to NASA for the 1977 astronautselection for duty as a Space Shuttle astronaut, but was turned down on thebasis of inadequate academic qualifications. The ideal astronaut was no longera jet-jock, but a highly educated person with useful skills. Accordingly,Johnston obtained a Ph.D. inmetaphysicsfrom the Reform Baptist Theological Seminaryin Denver,Colorado, and began using the title"Dr. Johnston".However, by the time NASA was recruiting again,Johnston says he was considered too old. He did, however, join NASA'seducational outreach program as a "Solar System Ambassador" — apurely voluntary appointment. In 1980 Johnston was hired by Martin Marietta andsent to Vandenburg AFB in California to be part of a team adapting that launchsite for launching the Space Shuttle. As a result of the Challenger disaster inJanuary 1986, the Vandenburg plan was scrapped and Johnston laid off with therest of that team. His last job in aerospace was with Boeing in Seattle, wherehe was designated as a human factors engineer. Johnstonstyles himself "Lieutenant Colonel USAF/CAP" for certain publicoccasions.The rank is an honorary title within the CivilAir Patrol—Johnston has never been an officer of the USAir Force. In mid-2013, Johnston was one of the 2,761 applicants for theone-way-only trip toMars, offered by the now defunct Mars Onescam. He was short-listed as one of 1,058"quarter-finalists" on 30 December 2013,but failed to make the 100 cut in February2015.In early 1995, Johnston attended alecture in Seattle by thepseudoscientistRichard Hoagland. After the lecture, he introduced himself andasked if Hoagland would be interested in his Apollo photograph collection,which he described as "unique." Indeed Hoagland was, and they wentthrough the collection together the next day. Hoagland later wrote (of himself,in the third person):

Rare V2 V-2 Rocket Original Salvaged Parts Wernher von Braun WWII NASA Space

$259.46

NASA Apollo Lunar Module Mooncraft Remove Before Flight Rare Original Artifact

$148.00

Rare NASA 1960's Photo Wernher Von Braun and MSFC Saturn V Resident Manager IBM

$2100.00