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  ESA ATV-1 "Jules Verne" flown covers

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Author Topic:   ESA ATV-1 "Jules Verne" flown covers
Ross
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Posts: 472
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-15-2009 07:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ross   Click Here to Email Ross     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In early December 2007, 1200 covers were placed inside a special protective bag which was placed aboard the ATV and flown into space. It was then returned to Earth aboard the Space Shuttle (STS-126) which landed at Edwards Air Force Base.

On 4 February 2009, the Cargo Transport Bag (CTB) was finally removed from the Leonardo MPLM and franked at its final destination, Kennedy Space Center. The covers were then placed in plastic pouches and mounted on a specially designed document.

A really nice item and definitely collectable. See the Space Unit site for a picture of the cover and further details.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 10-15-2009 08:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
How come the ATV graphic displayed on the space-unit web site differs (it's on the left of the cover) from the one that is displayed on Espace Lollini (it's on the right)?.

Ross
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From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 10-15-2009 09:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ross   Click Here to Email Ross     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The one on the Space Unit page is definitely correct as I own it. I can only assume that the covers are not consistent as to where the ATV graphic has been placed! Will be interesting to see how varied they are.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42985
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-15-2009 10:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Espace Lollini has updated their page with a cover that now match the style shown on the Space Unit's website.

Ross
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Posts: 472
From: Australia
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posted 10-15-2009 11:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ross   Click Here to Email Ross     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I wonder if they saw this thread or the Space Unit site. Still leaves the question as to the reason for the original difference. I might email them out of interest.

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-15-2009 01:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
They said they received quite a few inquiries on the topic (most likely triggered by this thread). They also provided a few more tidbits:
  • Most (at least 800) of the covers were gifted to the people working at the different European aerospace companies.

  • The distribution was tracked by EADS, the company behind the construction of the ATV.

  • A limited number of the covers were autographed and the ISS on-board octagonal blue ink stamp applied. Those with autographs were dedicated to named persons and museums (including one for the Jules Verne Museum in Amiens, France).

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
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posted 10-15-2009 11:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ross:
I wonder if they saw this thread or the Space Unit site. Still leaves the question as to the reason for the original difference. I might email them out of interest.

I did email them (Lollini) about the apparent discrepancy between the covers and they've told me that they'll make the necessary changes- apparently already done. They also said that the ATV logo appears in different places.

eurospace
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From: Brussels, Belgium
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posted 10-16-2009 02:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for eurospace   Click Here to Email eurospace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There is also another type of flown cover/card, produced ERNO Philatelie stamp club at the EADS plant at Bremen/Germany.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 42985
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-16-2009 06:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
EADS Astrium release (March 6, 2009)
Back in Bremen after a 177 million kilometre journey. Astrium's philatelists send cards and envelopes to the ISS

The cards and envelopes that arrived in Bremen in Germany on Thursday 5 March have completed the longest journey ever made by post -- 177,296,265 kilometres to be precise. A total of 1,200 'first day cover' envelopes and 550 cards began their voyage at the beginning of 2008 on board the supply Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) 'Jules Verne' supply craft en route for the International Space Station (ISS).

Under contract to the European Space Agency (ESA), Astrium is responsible for the operation and exploitation of the European segments of the ISS, which includes the preparation and execution of the ATV missions. The ATV supplies the ISS not only with fuel, gas and water, but also with clothing, food and scientific instruments for the crew. As it can carry a payload of 9.5 tonnes, the 4.5 kilos of cards and envelopes did not weigh heavily in the balance. The 550 cards will now remain in Bremen while the 1,200 envelopes will go on to Astrium's St-Medard-en-Jalles site near Bordeaux in France.

Luc Delmon, President of the philately association La Marianne travelled to Bremen especially for the reception ceremony. Helmut Luttmann, Astrium's Head of ISS operation and exploitation handed the cards and envelopes over to Mr Delmon and Ulrich Bremer, a management committee member of the ERNO-Philatelie association.

A dozen of the letters had the privilege of being signed and postmarked on board the ISS by Russian astronauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergei Volkov.

"It is a great honour to give these letters to the philatelists of Astrium," declared Helmut Luttmann. "They constitute the only remaining element of the ATV Jules Verne." Currently, production of the second ATV, named 'Johannes Kepler', is making good progress. This second ATV mission will be launched in the second half of 2010, and mission preparation is in full swing. "Johannes Kepler is already almost complete," said Mr Luttmann.

The first day cover cards and envelopes have been through a true odyssey. Astrium's ATV cargo manager Rachid Amekrane was very keen for this special mail to make the journey and return to Bremen intact. After undergoing a whole battery of tests - just as all items transported to the space station - the mail was transferred to Turin in Italy for further inspection, sterilisation and packing in a Cargo Transfer Bag, then on to the European spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana. They were finally loaded onto the ATV Jules Verne which left Earth on 9 March 2008 on board an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. The documents remained inside the ATV until August 2008, and were unloaded just shortly before de-docking. The ATV then began its controlled re-entry into the terrestrial atmosphere, where it disintegrated. As for the cards and envelopes, they made the return journey on 30 November with the American space shuttle 'Endeavour', when it returned from its STS-126 mission after some 4,200 orbits around the Earth. This time the shuttle landed not in Florida but at the Edwards Airbase in California. On 12 December it was returned to Florida on board a Boeing 747 which has been specially fitted out to carry the space shuttles. It was not until 3 March 2009 that the 'space mail' arrived back in Bremen. "No exceptions were made for the first day cover items. All the security measures applicable to manned flights had to be complied with. Nevertheless, we did benefit from the invaluable support of ESA, the astronauts and NASA," explained Rachid Amekrane as he opened the packet.


Credit: EADS Astrium

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 10-23-2009 06:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for pointing this one out.

This is indeed a really nice item - a bit pricey for me, special thanks to the Swiss customs - +$30 worth of taxes, VAT and the like, but that's life...

daveblog
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Posts: 135
From: Bergenfield, NJ USA
Registered: May 2004

posted 12-07-2009 01:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for daveblog   Click Here to Email daveblog     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
After waiting to hear back for a month or more, I was able to receive confirmation and pay for one of these covers earlier today. It will be a nice addition to my space flown collection.

cosmos-walter
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Posts: 691
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 12-29-2009 02:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cosmos-walter   Click Here to Email cosmos-walter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
ATV flown covers are franked with 2008 flag stamps. There are two varieties of each value: One has bright colours, the other one is pastel coloured. Is one of those varieties scarcer or are both very common?

Tom
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From: New York
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posted 01-30-2011 08:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tom   Click Here to Email Tom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Does ESA plan on having covers fly aboard ATV-2 "Johannes Kepler," scheduled for launch to ISS next month?

eurospace
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Posts: 2610
From: Brussels, Belgium
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posted 02-01-2011 09:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for eurospace   Click Here to Email eurospace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tom, this can not be excluded.

Tom
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From: New York
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posted 06-20-2011 07:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tom   Click Here to Email Tom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Anyone know if ATV-2 carried commemorative covers that will be returned on STS-135, or perhaps already returned on STS-134?

MrSpace86
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From: Gardner, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 04-21-2012 03:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MrSpace86   Click Here to Email MrSpace86     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I guess there were some carried on ATV-2 and returned on STS-135. Spaceflori had one for sale; I am unable to find any more info though.

Tom
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From: New York
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posted 04-21-2012 06:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tom   Click Here to Email Tom     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I wouldn't be surprised if there were also some type of covers or cards carried aboard ATV-3 which will be returned by the first fully commercial spacecraft — Dragon.

cosmos-walter
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From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 04-22-2012 06:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cosmos-walter   Click Here to Email cosmos-walter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The covers flown to ISS with ATV-2 returned to earth with STS-135.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 04-26-2012 04:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Got mine from Lollini.

eurospace
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Posts: 2610
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 04-26-2012 05:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for eurospace   Click Here to Email eurospace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by MrSpace86:
I am unable to find any more info though.
Umberto Cavallaro from the Italian astrophilatelists' association ASITAF has written an interesting article on the topic of flown ATV mail. It appeared in the recent edition of their newsletter, both in Italian as in English.

I have also just finished a German translation of his manuscript, to appear in the next edition of Weltraum Philatelie's magazine.

So - three languages at your choice!

MrSpace86
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From: Gardner, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 04-26-2012 04:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MrSpace86   Click Here to Email MrSpace86     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have to become a member.

eurospace
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Posts: 2610
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 04-27-2012 08:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for eurospace   Click Here to Email eurospace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Old street wisdom: there are no free lunches.

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