This very special ukulele was made for Apollo 13 Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise. The front inlay depicts Fred and Jim on the moon, something that a ruptured oxygen tank prevented from happening. The back has Freddo’s mission patches cut from dyed veneer. The Apollo 13 patch and the Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Test Patch. The fingerboard is inlaid with a space shuttle, command module, lunar module and astronaut wings. The headstock has the moon and a cutout of the command service module linked with the lunar module, inside the cutout is an actual flown piece of netting that Fred cut out of the lunar module, Aquarius just before they cut it lose before re-entry into earth’s atmosphere. A poem, written by Fred’s granddaughter is engraved on the inside of the ukulele.
I was honored to be able to present this instrument to The Renaissance man himself at an Apollo event this last week. Needless to say, Fred was elated for his new gift.
A wonderful commemorative salute expressed with skilled craftsmanship! The details are
I have a question, what do the red stripes on the one helmet signify?
Thank you very much. The red stripe s you see on the helmet, both arms and two on the ankles signify the mission commander. Starting with Apollo 13 all commanders wore stripes, this both signifies the commander and allows the astronauts to be told apart while on the moon. Great question. Jim Lovell also added a Navy sticker to his EVA helmet, that’s the blue square you see there.
Thank you for the compliment. As for your tribute, that’s fantastic. This is awesome and could be a monument to the Everyman. I’m on board! It can be totes around in a Pabst Blue Ribbon box with a garden hose as a strap.
