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Author
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Topic: Official space shuttle-flown commercial mementos
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-09-2013 05:26 PM
   
In looking over the 30-year, 135-mission history of the space shuttle program, I can think of three commercial mementos that were produced as a result of NASA partnering with another organization: - "The STS-8 Flight Cover" in partnership with the USPS
- The "Liberty Enlightening The World Centennial Celebration" STS-51D copper seal in partnership with the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Centennial Commission
- The "A Tribute to Space Exploration" STS-68 flown stamp cachet in partnership with the USPS
Are there other mementos I am overlooking? For the purposes of this question, I am considering only items that were flown specifically for post-flight sale to the public or which were products made with flown material that was specifically flown for the purpose, and were marketed in partnership with another organization. |
randyc
Member Posts: 779
From: Chandler, AZ USA
Registered: May 2003
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posted 04-09-2013 10:44 PM
How about the Houston 2012 Olympic pins and the Space Center Houston flags? There were also medallions made by contractors with flown material such as Rocketdyne. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-09-2013 11:12 PM
Good ideas, but none of the items mentioned were intended for sale to the public. In fact, all of their sales to date have been on the secondary market after they were gifted to the original intended recipients. Flags and pins and other mementos like them were flown in the Official Flight Kit, which was prohibited by NASA from including items intended for direct sale. And contractor mementos were either flown in the OFK, or were made using scrapped parts, but in both cases were not intended for sale to the public (instead, they were gifted to employees). |
randyc
Member Posts: 779
From: Chandler, AZ USA
Registered: May 2003
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posted 04-10-2013 02:08 AM
The shuttle program commemorative medallions and one of the NASA anniversary medallions, although given to NASA employees, are also being sold directly to the public by Winco, the company who made them for NASA. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-10-2013 02:15 AM
I had considered Winco's medals too, which are official NASA, but there's an issue. The metal ingots that were flown for the purposes of creating medals were originally (pre- and immediately post-flight) intended for medals to be given to employees, not sold to the public. It was years later that Winco proposed using the extra metal to create additional medals (of a different design) for NASA and sought permission to sell them to the public as well.So as Winco was reusing metal flown for another purpose, the resulting medals are not in the same category as the USPS and Liberty projects. I realize this is rather nitpicky, but what I'm trying to define are the instances when NASA put items on the space shuttle for the sole purpose of another organization (or for that matter, NASA itself) selling the resulting product to the general public. |
tnperri
Member Posts: 452
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 04-10-2013 06:25 AM
The Franklin Mint Apollo 13 and Apollo 14 medals. The Apollo 13 Project Apollo set was intended for NASA employees but was sold to others and the Apollo 14 mini coins were sold (?) to the FM society members. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-10-2013 08:48 AM
A good example, but from the wrong program: looking for space shuttle-flown mementos.(Also, neither set of medals was flown under a partnership with NASA, but rather with the astronauts directly.) |
tnperri
Member Posts: 452
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 04-13-2013 10:17 AM
Robert, I saw this on eBay. I do not know if it fits your parameters but have a look. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-13-2013 10:24 AM
Another good example, one that another member suggested via e-mail, but which doesn't fit.The beads were part of a science payload and were never intended for sale to the public as a memento. A private individual (a member of cS) purchased the beads from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and made up the plaques and other related products. |
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