Robert "Hoot" Gibson Signed NASA Official Portrait — STS-71 Commander, Inscribed, with COA

There is a photograph taken on June 29, 1995, of two spacecraft nose-to-nose 213 miles above the Earth — Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Russian station Mir, locked together for the first time in history. The man who flew Atlantis to that docking was Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson. He brought 100 tons of spacecraft to a rendezvous at 17,500 miles per hour with a margin of error measured in inches. Cold War rivals, same orbit, one American pilot at the controls. STS-71 didn't just make history — it made the International Space Station possible.

This is Gibson's official NASA color portrait — the powder-blue Shuttle-era flight suit, NASA "worm" logo patch, Space Shuttle program emblem, early ascent helmet at his side, the American flag behind. It is personally inscribed in black felt-tip across the upper right: "To Sam Dixon / With best wishes! / Robert L. Gibson." The verso carries the official NASA public-affairs release notice, stock number JSCIL-308. Gibson flew five Shuttle missions between 1984 and 1995, commanded four of them, and served as Chief of the Astronaut Office — one of the most accomplished stick-and-rudder pilots of his generation, in space or on the ground. This is a hand-signed, personally dedicated presentation copy. A Certificate of Authenticity from Mesilla Valley Estate Sales accompanies this lot.

Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson (born 1946) came to NASA from the Navy, where he flew combat missions in Vietnam and later became a test pilot — the pipeline that produces the kind of aviator NASA wants at the controls of a spacecraft worth two billion dollars. Selected in the 1978 astronaut class alongside Sally Ride and Judy Resnik, he first flew aboard Challenger on STS-41-B in 1984. By the time of STS-71 in 1995, he was commanding the most watched spaceflight since Apollo — the first physical joining of American and Russian spacecraft since the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz handshake, and the mission that opened the door to the ISS era. His nickname "Hoot" came from the country singer Hoot Gibson; the call sign stuck, and so did his reputation as one of the best pilots in the astronaut corps.

Offered as a hand-signed, personally inscribed presentation photograph based on direct house examination. The inscription is fluid, consistent, and fully legible — "To Sam Dixon / With best wishes! / Robert L. Gibson" — characteristic of a dedicated signing rather than an autopen or facsimile. A Certificate of Authenticity from Mesilla Valley Estate Sales is included.

CONDITION

Very Good. Color is bright and the signing surface clean; the inscription is bold and fully legible throughout. Light handling only — no significant creasing, tears, or fading to the image area.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• 10" × 8"
• NASA stock no.: JSCIL-308
• Inscribed: "To Sam Dixon / With best wishes! / Robert L. Gibson"
• Signed in black felt-tip, upper right
• COA from Mesilla Valley Estate Sales included