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[b]Space Cover #27, Skylab 4 Recovery - Return to Port[/b] Many space cover collections contain prime and secondary ship covers for the recovery of the spacecraft for the manned space missions. Ships with postal facilities aboard usually cancelled for either the first or last day of the mission (be aware some dates are "off" by a day because of the location of the ship versus the International Date Line). Another type of recovery ship cover that is actually more challenging to find is the "return to port" covers. Return to port covers exist from the very beginning of NASA's manned space program as there are USS Lake Champlain return to port covers for the first space mission - Alan Shepard's sub-orbital flight aboard MR-3. Pictured is a cover for the Skylab 4 prime recovery ship USS New Orleans' return to port of San Diego on February 20, 1974. The cachet was added by noted space dealer Bob Boudwin to whom the cover is addressed. While covers with the recovery date of February 8 date can be easily found, finding the return to port will be a challenge. How many missions do you have return to port covers for in your collection?
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