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[b]Space Cover #106: Saturn S-II Stage Test[/b] Well, much like Tom Steiner did in SCOTW #67, I just found a Saturn test cover buried in a bunch of cheapo covers! This cover was postmarked at Bay St. Louis, MS on April 23, 1966 for the first static test firing at the Mississippi Test Facility (MTF - now known as The NASA Stennis Space Center). The firing that day was a 15 second test of the "all systems" test model of the Saturn V S-II second stage, designated S-II-T. This particular stage was the first test model that contained all of the S-II systems and was completed by North American Aviation on February 9, 1965. It was static fired at Santa Susanna in California on April 24, 1965, with a full-duration firing there on August 9, 1965. It was then shipped to the all-new MTF in October, 1965 for static testing in the A-2 test stand. As mentioned, the cover above was postmarked for its first firing at MTF, April 23, 1966. Several more firings commenced through May, with a full duration firing on May 20. Another full duration firing attempt was cut short on May 25 when fires erupted near some liquid hydrogen valves and also in the engine area. On May 28, the test crew pressurized the liquid hydrogen tank to search for the cause of the fires. Due to an operational error, the tank was over pressurized and ruptured, sending five men to the hospital and destroying the S-II-T test stage. Anyway, I'm not sure of the heritage on the cachet - does anyone out there know who may have processed the covers and applied the cachet?
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