Space News
space history and artifacts articles

Messages
space history discussion forums

Sightings
worldwide astronaut appearances

Resources
selected space history documents
  collectSPACE: Messages
  Stamps & Covers
  Dragon recovery cancel: downtown or dowtown?

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   Dragon recovery cancel: downtown or dowtown?
Antoni RIGO
Member

Posts: 282
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 07-29-2023 01:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Antoni RIGO   Click Here to Email Antoni RIGO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is a doubt addressed to our US space collectors.

Among the space covers made for astronaut recovery from SpaceX, I found these two with "downtown" and "dowtown" name.

First cancel is Pensacola, FL Aug 2, 2020 for splashdown of Demo-2. As you can see, after Pensacola, word downtown is written.

And next one, cancelled Panama City May 30, 2023, the word dowtown (without "n") for Axiom-2 splashdown is shown.

Maybe both are correct or maybe downtown and dowtown are synomy words, or maybe there is a slight difference between them. Can anybody supply an answer?

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 3645
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 07-29-2023 06:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That is quite odd Antoni as my firm mainly used two postal cancel strikes for the DM-2 splashdown in Florida on Aug. 2, 2020. They were the Naval Air Station at Pensacola 32508 and Downtown Station Pensacola 32502. It looks like there are five different postal stations using the same 32401 zip code, but only one at Downtown Pensacola city (32502).

Perhaps "Dowtown" must be in error on the hand cancel device itself, but if that be the case, why was it not noted earlier by USPS officials and corrected? Since the cancel year is in 2023, three years after DM-2, could this be a new device altogether with "Dowtown"? It would seem most unlikely to me.

Antoni RIGO
Member

Posts: 282
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 07-30-2023 01:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Antoni RIGO   Click Here to Email Antoni RIGO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thank Ken.

As per my records, for DM-2 splashdown on Aug 2, 2020 these Pensacola several zip postmarks exist:

  • 32501 and 32508 applied at Kansas processing postmark facility
  • 32502 downtown
  • 32508 Naval Air Station and NAS
No seen yet 32502 applied at Kansas.

All Pensacola applied at Kansas in black color. However, rest of Pensacola postmarks applied in red or black. Unknown for me at the moment if this is possible to get same postmark in both colors.

Another issue would be which Pensacola postmark is the most accurate to commemorate the return of DM-2 astronauts.

Regarding Axiom-2 splashdown on May 30, 2023 it could be an error in device in the world "dowtown" instead of "downtown" but the postmark is in use from 2021 at least (see below for Crew-1 splashdown on May 02, 2021).

And also another device 32401 Panama City, FL (small double red ring) exist but with "correct" word downtown for CRS-24 splashdown on Jan 24, 2022.

All times are CT (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | The Source for Space History & Artifacts

Copyright 2023 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.47a



advertisement