posted 10-07-2012 05:52 AM               

For this Space Cover of the Week, "How About a Date?" The postally used space cover shown is canceled on the date of what turns out to be the launch and attempted recovery date of Scatback Monkey, December 19, 1961, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. Scatback monkey was an early rhesus monkey test flight on USAF Atlas 6E rocket to see if a monkey could survive the extreme stresses of reentry from space. While the launch and mission went as planned, the capsule and monkeynaut, Scatback, were lost at sea during recovery, late in the evening of December 19, 1961. Covers with a date of December 20, 1961 are also considered valid covers for Scatback monkey due to the late time of loss of the small monkeynaut and capsule.

Canceled space stamps also present excellent opportunities to find launch and recovery dates for determined collectors. The USAF stamp pictured was a popular U.S. airmail stamp of the period and this one canceled on piece, is especially worth a second look. The space project behind this canceled stamp was begun in 1954 as Project Orbiter to put a scientific satellite into Earth orbit for the International Geophysical Year. Successfully launched into orbit on January 31, 1958, at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, Explorer 1 was the second Earth satellite to carry a payload into Earth orbit. Russia's Sputnik was the first satellite to do this.

V-2 rocket tests conducted by General Walter Dornberger and Wernher von Braun's rocket team at Peenemunde 2, Germany, during World War II were classified as top secret. There were no rocket test covers commemorating key test dates for the development for the V-2 rocket. However, mail went into and was sent from the top secret rocket base, Peenemunde 2, on a regular basis. This Peenemunde cover is a significant find in that it was sent to a German Army Reservist involved in the rocket program and stationed at Peenemunde 2. The cover to Arbeitsmann Christof Siwinski is even more important in that it was canceled on the date of the second V-2 rocket test at Peenemunde 2, August 16, 1942, although the rocket failed shortly after launch.

This is the reverse side of the Peenemunde 2 cover pictured above, showing the hand cancel for August 16, 1942, Peenemunde 2, Germany. This date is the second V-2 rocket test at the rocket base and precedes by only a few weeks the first successful operational V-2 rocket test to be conducted seven weeks later on October 3, 1942 at Peenemunde 2, Germany.

Space Cover #182: "How About a Date?"

I've called this Space Cover of the Week posting, "How About a Date?" because it appeals to my simple space stamp and space cover collecting interests. Now, what does that mean? It means all you really need to collect great space stamps and space covers are the following: a stamp show offering space stamps and covers, maybe finding a sizeable box of them to go through, and a written list or other means to check dates, locations, and cancels on stamps or covers that you will see. It's that simple!

This sounds complicated, but if you try it, you may be surprised at what you can find. You will need to put a list together ahead of time for your search, or you will need to write down key dates and locations that you in which you would like to search. And sorry, this week's Space Cover of the Week did not pertain to that other very similar question, "How About a Date?" you know, that often asked romantic question leading to a hot date.

Do you have any interesting dates on space stamps or space covers you wish to share?

posted 10-07-2012 09:28 AM               

But the "sleeper" part really comes in with the backstamp showing that the cover arrived at Muroc Sta. No. 1 on July 26, 1944. That was the date that the MX-324 rocketplane flew it’s seventh and final rocket powered flight, and that was over Muroc! This is the only cover that I’ve ever seen that happened to be postmarked on the right date and location for one of the MX-324 rocket powered flights. As Steve mentioned above, sometimes you have to look at a lot of drab looking covers with a big list of dates to find a gem...

posted 10-25-2012 07:17 PM               

Here is the front of the Peenemunde-2 postcard shown above and for which Walter asked for information concerning the card.

Walter, I found the card on Germany eBay about four years ago, but the listing showed only the front of the postcard, an idyllic Germany beach scene with a pleasant beach summer scene.

On a hunch it might be near Peenemunde, I asked the seller to send me a scan of the other side of the postcard. Upon seeing the scan, things became very obvious with the date of mailing of the card being October 4, 1942, Zinnowitz, very close to Peenemunde, and of course, the briefstemple for Komp. 7 VKN at Peenemunde.

My thought at the time was one of disappointment, if only the card had been mailed October 3, 1942, the date of the first successful, live V-2 rocket test by Wernher von Braun and Gen. Walter Dornberger, and then upon a closer look I saw the handwritten date 3 October 1942, (German date format) the date the card was written and mailed by the sender, and the date of the successful rocket test. I was stunned after seeing this.