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Forum:	Stamps & Covers
Topic:	Sending mail for Cape and Houston postmarks

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<table border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="600"><TR><td bgcolor="#000000"><TABLE BORDER=0 cellpadding=4 border=0 cellspacing=1 WIDTH="100%"><TR bgcolor="#660000"><TD COLSPAN=2><CENTER>T O P I C     R E V I E W</CENTER></TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>Is there any way I could send mail to the Cape Canaveral Post Office and have them stamp it with the space shuttle cancellation? Can I have the same mail then canceled in Houston?And also, can I tell them what date I want it canceled? Thanks. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>JBoe</TD><TD>You can send them addressed to the Postmaster and request what date you would like. I'm not sure if there is a timeframe of when they stop cancelling certain dates.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>Okay, thanks. Am I able to have them cancelled at both locations? And can I send two at a time?</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Robert Pearlman</TD><TD>I believe you would need to send the request(s) to one post office, wait to receive them back, apply additional postage, and then mail them off to the other.The U.S. Postal Service's general directions for sending requests for pictorial postmarks: <BLOCKQUOTE>Requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial postmark date.All requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least the minimum First-Class Mail postage. Items submitted for postmark may not include postage issued after the date of the requested postmark. Such items will be returned unserviced.Customers wishing to obtain a postmark should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others, insert a card of postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to: Pictorial Postmarks, followed by the Name of the Station, Address, City, State and ZIP+4 Code.Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial postmark, the Postal Service returns the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover.</BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Space Shuttle Endeavour: ...have them stamp it with the space shuttle cancellation?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I do not know if the space shuttle cancellation is still in use, given the end of the program two years ago. I'm sure others here will know.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>JBoe</TD><TD>I sent a stamped envelope to the KSC Postmaster for cancellation when the Endeavour Flyout occured and it was a regular cancellation stamp, so I think they no longer use that.As far as sending, it's been recommended that no more than five stamped envelopes be sent at one time. I usually use a 7.5"x10.5" envelope with my cover that I want cancelled with the same size envelope folded with correct return postage. Don't forget a nice letter with your request. I've have several successes.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Ken Havekotte</TD><TD>Keep in mind that KSC and Cape Canaveral are two different postal units. If anyone would like cancels from either, they can be mailed to me directly with a request for cancel date(s).Currently, there are no special pictorial cancel devices available at Kennedy nor the Cape, however, a machine cancel from KSC still depicts the old shuttle program design logo. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>Thanks for the responses. Is the KSC Post Office located at Washington Ave?</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>I sent out some covers to the Cape Canaveral Post Office for the MAVEN launch and STS-8 30th Anniversary, but does this post office handle Kennedy Space Center's mail? Also, I have seen some interesting stamps from KSC with the shuttle logo, does anyone know the Scott number?</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>onesmallstep</TD><TD>See Ken's response above re: Cape and KSC cancels; they are both different USPS offices although they are in the same geographical area. You have to address your requests to each individual Post Office (I believe all of KSC's mail first goes to a processing center in Orlando). I think the KSC PO on Merritt Island is located in the HQ building on Kennedy Parkway N. The S. Washington Ave. address is in Titusville, so I don't know if it handles all NASA mail as well. I always use 'KSC, Fl 32815' and if my covers get there by whatever route it takes, I'm happy! As for 'stamps from KSC' with a shuttle program logo; it may be the machine cancel that Ken talks about in his same post. As far as I know, no officially issued US space-themed stamp includes the triangular shuttle logo. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Ken Havekotte</TD><TD>To answer recent questions posted here, no, the postal facility at Cape/Port Canaveral does not handle any mail from the on-base NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC). And yes, there is a postal station located on S. Washington Ave. at Titusville, which by the way, does have a branch office with a non-killer bar type of philatelic KSC-hand stamp cancel device there. The space center cancels located there in Titusville are not very active at the moment since the majority of all the USPS/Titusville postal services are now housed under the same roof at South Washington Avenue.For "Space Shuttle Endeavour," did you want your mailed-in covers for the upcoming MAVEN launch and STS-8 30th anniversary to receive KSC or CC cancels?</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>Thanks for the response. I wanted them with the KSC cancels, so I will just re-mail another set since they are custom. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by onesmallstep: As far as I know, no officially issued US space-themed stamp includes the triangular shuttle logo. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The seller says <A HREF="http://www.ebay.com/itm/360728433991?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649" TARGET=_blank>this cover</A> has KSC issued stamps.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Ken Havekotte</TD><TD>For "Space Shuttle Endeavour," No need to mail another set of your covers to KSC. If you don't mind, let me retrieve your already CC-mailed covers and get them over to the main KSC post office for processing.Keep in mind though that the MAVEN launch to the Red Planet aboard an Atlas V rocket will take-off from Space Launch Complex 41.A Cape Canaveral postal cancel for your Mars probe covers would be appropriate, however, the actual geographic location of Pad 41 is on the Kennedy Space Center itself and not Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.Complex 41, originally constructed for the heavier DOD/NASA Titan launch vehicle family, is the only launch pad facility on the "Cape side" that isn't, from a geographic standpoint or location, designated as a part of the Cape air force station.The only other two launch pad areas that are an actual part of NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, FL, would be both Pads A/B of Launch Complex 39.It was from here that all 13 of the giant Apollo/Saturn Vs were launched from, many with Apollo lunar crews, in addition to four smaller Apollo/Saturn 1B rockets from 1967-75. Afterwards, between 1981-2011, all 135 space shuttles took off from the 39 site along with the unmanned Ares 1-X flight test vehicle in 2009. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Robert Pearlman</TD><TD> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Space Shuttle Endeavour: The seller says this cover has KSC issued stamps.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Not KSC-issued, <A HREF="http://nasalocalpost.disneylicenseplates.com/NLP_History.html" TARGET=_blank>NASA Local Post</A>-issued: <BLOCKQUOTE>The Space City Cover Society (SCCS) created the NASA Local Post, which was not of any connection to any of the United States governmental space agencies.</BLOCKQUOTE> And, as explained by <A HREF="http://spacecovers.com/pricelists/prclst_lpnasa01.htm" TARGET=_blank>SpaceCovers.com</A>: <BLOCKQUOTE> What is a Local Post? It is an independent mail system or service not connected with the U.S. Postal System, for delivering mail. However a local post may work in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service. A local post can issue its own local post stamps and have local post cancels. If local post stamps are used on envelopes that are to be mailed they also must bear a U.S. postage stamp in order to be delivered. Today most local posts are philatelic in nature...The NASA Local Post is a philatelic one, it began in 1967 and produced local post covers until at least 1984 and is no longer in operation.</BLOCKQUOTE> For further discussion on this, see <A HREF="http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/000885.html">NASA Local Post and Space City Cover Society</A>.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Ken Havekotte: No need to mail another set of your covers to KSC. If you don't mind, let me retrieve your already CC-mailed covers and get them over to the main KSC post office for processing.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Thanks for the offer, but I just mailed out another set.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Ken Havekotte</TD><TD>Having your covers at both KSC and CC would be a good idea since there may be a special MAVEN pictorial launch-day postmark at the CC post office. If so, all received MAVEN requested covers will have it applied. But only at CC will it be available for, not KSC, once USPS approved.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>Ok. Hopefully they will have a pictorial cancel. I asked for one if they had it in the letter I sent to the postmaster.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Ken Havekotte</TD><TD>Yes, I am hoping to have the pictorial cancel approved, which I have the artwork design with me, once the graphic illustration has been submitted this week to the appropriate USPS officials here. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>JBoe</TD><TD>From a collecting stand point, is it better for a pictoral cancellation rather than a regular cancellation from KSC or CC? Is there a "standard" pictoral cancellation?</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Ken Havekotte</TD><TD>In my opinion, to answer the above posted question, it all depends on what a space cover collector is comfortable with.Special commemorative pictorial cancels, while USPS approved, are short-lived and will not be available after a given time period. Such graphically-illustrated postal strikes are perhaps more historic because they are specifically created to commemorate a certain space activity or event.Routine or regular postal station hand and/or machine cancels will always be available year around. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Space Shuttle Endeavour</TD><TD>What is the address for covers to be mailed to Edwards Air Force Base? Thanks.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>JBoe</TD><TD>Ken, thanks again! I'll definately keep that in mind, especially with the ISS Houston postmarks.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>onesmallstep</TD><TD> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Space Shuttle Endeavour: What is the address for covers to be mailed to Edwards Air Force Base?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The address is: <BLOCKQUOTE>Postmaster 1000 Kinchloe Ave. Edwards, CA 93524-0001</BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TABLE></td></tr></table>

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