On July 20th 1969, America and the world dreamed again. Amidst the Cold War between America and the USSR came what would be known as the Space Race, an urgent rush between the two super powers to send the first man into the great unknown. Though this man-controlled voyage into orbit was accomplished first by USSR pilot Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok 1, there still remained our close yet impossibly far neighbor, the moon, the king to claim in this game of chess between the two nations. Defying all odds, the United States were the first to succeed at this seemingly impossible task, launching Apollo 11 into orbit and showcasing the efforts of over 400,000 people that worked together for this achievement, an achievement that did not go unnoticed. Over 53 million households watched and heard the now iconic quote of Neil Armstrong: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Now 50 years later, this landing is still a testament that daring to dream an impossible dream is how the world progresses. And a kind of interesting thing about this dream was that Case themselves had a role to play in it too. During the Gemini and Apollo missions, every survival kit contained the necessities needed to survive 48 hours in the wilderness in the event of an error in landing. A fear not unfounded, as the USSR Voskhod 2 had a malfunction that caused the landing pod to arrive almost 240 miles off course in the inhospitable forests of northwest Russia. This may have been what prompted the minds of NASA to produce the kit, which contained such things as water, desalting kits, survival flashlights, a first aid kit, and, of course, a knife.
That very knife was done at the request of NASA, and Case was ready to step forward and take up their commission, producing a tool to befit the difficult task of space travel and return. Called the M1, this 17 inch beast was designed with survival on its mind. The blade was sharp enough to cleave through obstacles like bamboo and fruit husks, strip bark from a tree in the event a fire was needed, the saw needed to be able to carve through tree limbs and other heavy duty tasks, the ricasso above the handle thick enough to serve as a prying tool, and the grip was made with material stability and comfort in mind, helping to prevent blistering. It was this very same M1 style of knife that was taken to the moon on the monumental day Apollo 11 landed upon its surface.
To celebrate and commemorate the dream of the moon landing, Case went back to that period of change, releasing a limited run reproduction of what has been dubbed as the Astronaut Knife, creating it to be as close as possible to the original as modern technology allows. Alongside that, they have produced a trapper celebrating the 50th anniversary of this milestone in mankind’s progress. If you are a dedicated fan of NASA’s achievements or simply a knife enthusiast, you don’t want to miss this. Please feel free to give us a call or follow the enclosed link to order one today! http://bit.ly/MoonLandingTrapper