Playboy mannequin whose saucy pic was despatched to the Moon together with impolite joke dies aged 79
A former Playboy model, whose saucy picture was sneakily placed aboard a space shuttle headed to the moon along with a rude joke, has sadly passed away at the age of 79
Wilson was also a regular feature on American televison(Image: Wiki Commons)
A Playboy model whose saucy centrefold was secretly sent to the moon as part of an prank X-rated has sadly died aged 79.
Born in 1947 in California, Reagan Wilson would go on to become a much-admired name in the glamour model scene, and was named Playboy’s ‘Playmate of the Month’ in 1967, a title accompanied by a nude shoot for the adult magazine.
And in a hilarious twist, saucy photocopies of Reagan’s raunchy centrefold were snuck onto the Apollo 12 shuttle, which was the second ever to land on the moon in 1969, accompanied by a hilarious, albeit somewhat risqué gag.
The picture was discovered in a locker on the space capsule while the astronauts were exploring the moon’s surface. The pair that found it described being left in hysterics after seeing the photocopy, which showed the glamorous Reagan, then aged 20, sitting nude on a bail of hay.
The reason for their laughter was the accompanying message found alongside the pic, which read: “map of a heavenly body.”
Another picture of the model was captioned with the joke “preferred tether partner”.
Alan Bean, one of the astronauts on board Apollo 12, explained: “About two and a half hours into the extravehicular activity, I flipped the page over and there she was.”
He added, “I hopped over to where Pete was and showed him mine, and he showed me his. We giggled and laughed so much that people accused us of being drunk or having ‘space rapture’.”
The saucy prank was the handiwork of an astronaut called Dave Scott, who served as a reserve for the crew.
Understandably, the astronauts did not disclose the gag to the media when they returned, fearing that critics might be less than impressed to hear tax payer money spent on the erotic gag.
Reagan Wilson described her work in the late 60s as “exciting”, adding that the period was an ” age of great music, fashion trends and the beginning of expression”.
The Playboy star was part of a campaign with the adult mag to boost morale during the Vietnam War.
Describing the experience, she said: ““We had protests against the Vietnam War, and Playmates were sent to the young men as a morale-booster. It was as difficult as it was rewarding.”
Before becoming a successful model and household name, she studied journalism at the University of Montana, before moving to LA.
Her career would see her work around the globe, including stints in New York, Paris and London.
As well as modelling, Reagan became a familiar face on US television, appearing on huge shows such as The Munsters, The Johnny Carson Show and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, as well as many more.
She also flirted with a career on the silver screen, appearing alongside fellow Playboy star Vicki Peters in the 1970 cult horror classic Blood Mania.
Reagan married the writer Barry Hornig in 1982, going onto set up a successful furnishings company with him.
She is survived by her husband.
