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  Space Cover 176: RIP Neil Armstrong,1930-2012

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 176: RIP Neil Armstrong,1930-2012
stevedd841
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Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 08-26-2012 06:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 176 (August 26, 2012)

Space Cover #176: Rest In Peace, Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012

Rest in Peace, Neil. We will miss you.

  • X-1B Test Pilot
  • X-15 Test Pilot
  • Commander, Gemini VIII
  • LLRV Test Pilot
  • Commander, Apollo 11
  • The First Person to Walk on the Moon
Steve Durst, SU-4379

stevedd841
Member

Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 08-28-2012 03:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Unit member Woody Witt wanted to share this unusual sheet of stamps based upon a photo of the Moon as taken by the Apollo 8 crew in orbit around the Moon on NASA's first manned lunar mission and made into an oversized cover. This one, though, is special in that it is signed by the Apollo 11 crew of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins.

Note also the hand cancels on the sheet of stamps for the launch, Moon landing, and splashdown using key Apollo 11 mission dates, with the cancels also playing off the names of the three Apollo 11 crew members. Dr. E. M. Brown of Elgin, IL, made this unique cover for the Apollo 11 flight and was able to have it signed by the crew.

This unusual desirable cover is shown with appreciation to Woody Witt. Readers who have a favorite Neil Armstrong related, Apollo 11 or other Neil Armstrong cover are welcome to post a scan of their special cover on this thread as well!

spaceman1953
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Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 08-28-2012 08:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
So what are you all planning on doing for the funeral/memorial service this Friday, in the way of covers/postmarks?

Purdue had a service last night... THOUSANDS of people turned out for that.

stevedd841
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Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 08-31-2012 04:59 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
NASA management is still deciding whether to hold a memorial service or other Washington, D.C. memorial service, National Cathedral? The Armstrong family will hold only a private funeral service in Ohio, location not known at this time, and not disseminated to the public.

Space Unit members Ken H. and Jim R. are doing cacheted space covers for Neil's memorial service today with Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center, Florida, postmarks, and Jim, possibly will do a funeral cover with either a Cincinatti or Lebanon, Ohio, (funeral home location) postmark. Contact me separately and I will provide their contact information. Will let you know if NASA and Washington, D.C. area come up with an event.

spaceman1953
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Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 08-31-2012 12:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I found some covers I had prepared for the 29-cent anniversary stamp a few years ago, that I prepared for subsequent postmarks. So I packed off six of them to Cincy and six to Wapak for postmarks for today's date.

I used my stash of Shepard stamps for the Cincy cancels and the Mission to Mercury stamps for the Wapak cancels. All I had was three blocks.

When a date is announced for the Washington service, I will dash some off to there. I have a small supply of unserviced Apollo 11 cachets. I just need to decide on franking!

Thanks for the reply!

stevedd841
Member

Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 09-02-2012 05:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Further information is provided by the Space Unit's Jim Roth:
Armstrong's family, together with invited guests including the first moonwalker's fellow astronauts and the leadership of NASA, were gathering for a private memorial service in Cincinnati. The ceremony at the Camargo Club, a private golf course, was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT).
The golf club is listed at 8605 Shawnee Run Road, Cincinnati, OH 45243, and is located in Indian Hill community, which does NOT have it's own post office.
According to NASA, planning is underway for a national service to be held in Washington, D.C. sometime in the next two weeks.
Stay tuned!

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

posted 09-02-2012 10:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Jim is quoting the collectSPACE article about the memorial service, which was updated afterwards to reflect that the service had occurred.

With regards to the national service, Sept. 12 has been set as the date, though the location and other details have not yet been announced.

onesmallstep
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Posts: 1310
From: Staten Island, New York USA
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 09-02-2012 12:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for onesmallstep   Click Here to Email onesmallstep     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Coincidentally, the planned date for the national memorial falls 43 years and three days after the first day issue of the 10-cent airmail Moon Landing stamp (Sept. 9). It was unveiled during a National Postal Forum in Washington organized by the Post Office (as the USPS was called then) and the Apollo 11 crew attended. The following day, they were at a joint session of Congress. I'm sure the stamp will see wide use next week in postmark cancels.

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-02-2012 12:34 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sept. 12 is also the 50th anniversary of JFK's "Choose the moon" speech delivered at Rice University.

ChrisCalle
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Posts: 135
From: Ridgefield, CT USA
Registered: Jan 2009

posted 09-03-2012 01:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ChrisCalle   Click Here to Email ChrisCalle     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Does anyone know of any postal cancellations planned for the Armstrong memorial or the JFK speech?

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-03-2012 10:39 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The cover article of the Sept. 17 issue of Linn's Stamps News is devoted to Neil Armstrong's legacy on U.S. stamps.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

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

posted 09-03-2012 10:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ChrisCalle:
Does anyone know of any postal cancellations planned for the Armstrong memorial or the JFK speech?
As of Aug. 23, the USPS had no pictorial postmarks planned between Sept. 3 and Sept. 20.

spaceman1953
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From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-04-2012 03:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Rice University: JFK's 1962 moon speech still appeals 50 years later

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

posted 09-04-2012 05:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The national service has been moved to Sept. 13. From NASA's media advisory:
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and other dignitaries will attend a public memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral to honor the life and career of astronaut Neil Armstrong on Thursday, Sept. 13.

stevedd841
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Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 09-09-2012 09:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, Gene, Chris, and Onesmallstep, Many thanks for your additional postings for the memorial service. Please find this additional information for a location near the Washington National Cathedral where Neil Armstrong's memorial service will be held on September 13, 2012.

The Post Office which has the jurisdiction of the Washington National Cathedral is the post office at Wisconsin Avenue:

U.S. Post Office
4005 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C., 20016
Tel: (202) 842-3332

Many thanks to Pete for this information.

spaceman1953
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Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-11-2012 10:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank you for that information on the post office proximity to the National Cathedral. I was hoping to find that they had picture postcards in their online shop of the window with the moon rock in it, not that there would have been time to order, get them and return for postmarks.

Anyway, I have not gotten my Cincy or Wapak postmarks back from the date of the Cincy service. Called BOTH post offices just now. At Cincy, the clerk in charge of such things had been gone and nobody else will touch his stuff. At Wapak, the lady said "we had a bunch of them" and they were finally getting them all back to the senders. So if you haven't gotten yours back, I thought I'd tell you what I know and maybe yours are on their way back too.

Covers from the ship handling the burial at sea for Armstrong will be a super-cool item, to be sure. Would be nice to know who handled/will be handling those duties! Through all my space collecting years, I "never" got a bad response from the Navy when I asked for something unusual.

It ain't getting any better yet, I am still winking at the the Moon, but by keeping busy with this or that way to honor Armstrong, at least I could put the tissues away.

stevedd841
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Posts: 292
From: Millersville, Maryland
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 09-14-2012 09:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for stevedd841   Click Here to Email stevedd841     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Many thanks for your posting, Spaceman1953. I read this memorial article in yesterday's "Wall Street Journal," by Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 LM Pilot and fellow Apollo 11 crew member, who accompanied Neil when they landed at the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon, July 20, 1969.
As America pays tribute to Neil Armstrong in a memorial service Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, I would like to reflect on the life and legacy of this great space exploration pioneer.

The memorial service, I note, falls one day after the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's "Moon speech" at Rice University in Houston, a speech that fired the nation's imagination and energies to undertake "the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked." I was deeply saddened to learn of Neil's passing--my good friend and Apollo 11 crewmate along with Michael Collins. It never occurred to me that our mission commander might be the first of us to pass.

Thinking about Neil, I was reminded of the statement attributed to Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, when he attempted to explain how he was able to develop a powerful understanding of physics and mathematics. "If I have seen further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."

For the Apollo Program, Neil was that giant. He was the consummate test pilot and astronaut whose skills were demonstrated repeatedly throughout his career, whether expanding the envelope of the X-15 space plane to the very edge of space (207,500 feet)at nearly 4,000 mph; gaining control of his spinning spacecraft during Gemini 8 in 1966 and guiding it safely back to Earth; ejecting at the last possible moment before the Lunar Lander Training Vehicle crashed, then quietly returning to his office to analyze the cause of the malfunction and file a mishap report; or, most especially, skillfully guiding the Apollo 11 Lunar Module "Eagle" to a safe landing in a boulder strewn lunar expanse.

I still vividly recall standing with Neil on the barren, desolate, yet beautiful surface of the Moon, looking at the small, brilliant blue planet Earth, suspended in the blackness of space, while Mike orbited above us awaiting our return, as virtually the entire world took that journey with us.

Neil did not see Apollo 11 as an ending--rather he regarded the Moon landing as a first small step for humankind into the cosmos. If Neil was an extraordinary engineer, astronaut and leader, he was also soft spoken and reserved, preferring to advocate quietly for space exploration from behind the scenes. He didn't seek fame or praise for the work that he knew countless others had done to make the Moon landing possible.

The last time Neil and I met at the White House, which we did periodically to boost the space policy with a succession of Presidents, we talked about where the next step into the future should lie: to the Moon or Mars. Neil said, "No!" He thought we had much to learn from the Moon before moving on to other challenges. But in the end, while we differed at times on where next to go and how best to get there, we always shared a common belief that America must lead in space.

As we contemplate his passing, let us also pause to remember those who gave their lives in pursuit of achieving the dream of space exploration: the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia. We can honor them all, and the President who first set the Moon landing challenge before the nation, by renewing our dedication to space exploration --and resolving to pursue it with the same determination and enduring commitment to excellence personified by Neil Armstrong.

Reference, Aldrin, Buzz, "Remembering Neil Armstrong," published in "The Wall Street Journal," September 13, 2012, page A-13.

spaceman1953
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Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-14-2012 07:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And, Steve, thank you for sharing that piece. As we also mourn a hateful attack on our embassy and killing of four statesmen, I suspect we will continue to honor Armstrong in many, many ways... pursuing this or that dream in his memory. Nothing can be more fitting, to be sure.

spaceman1953
Member

Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-27-2012 10:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Okay, so now I have a real problem, lost covers. I am posting it here, but maybe I should do something else. I defintely am going to write to Linn's and see if they can help. I was always so helpful to them over the years, they probably will.

My original covers I sent to Cincinnati are lost. They are 6 3/4" envelopes, 100% cotton fibre (rag content) envelopes with Artmaster watermark. I have a single of the Apollo 11 anniversary stamp on it, with the selvege from the sheet with the Armstrong quote attached to it and postmarked first day of issue. Then, in the large, open white space to the left and above of that, I put a Forever Alan Shepard stamp on them and sent them to Cincinnati for postmarks for the Armstrong service.

I know Cincinnati got them. I talked to the clerk there who had them in his hand and was going to postmark them and return them to me in my return envelope. But all I got back was four or five photographs of some lady and her daughter (that I do not know) with love notes on the back.

I sent those back to the same Cincinnati PO with the original letter and additional notes and five more, different covers. I just got those five covers back with lousy red ink four-bar postmarks. I can read the date, but Cincinnati is totally lost on the stamps and those pictures back that I specifically said I did not want back. But not the original covers. The original covers are in a clear USPS cellophane package I save and reuse from stamp purchases along with the heavy cardboard piece.

Sorry to be so very long and detailed. If anyone should have gotten my covers (six of them) back from Cincy by mistake, I would appreciate them back and would be happy to send some stuff to the "finder". Many thanks!

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