posted 01-03-2015 08:00 PM               

Space Cover #298: Gemini 5 Space Craft Cover

In recent SCOTW posts there have been several related to Space Craft Covers. Shown above is the Space Craft Cover for Gemini 5.

Gemini 5 was flown by astronauts Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad with backup astronauts Neil Armstrong and Elliot See. It was launched on August 21, 1965 and splashed down on August 27th. It was the fifth spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the third manned Gemini flight, the 11th manned American flight and the 19th spaceflight of all time (includes X-15 flights over 100 kilometers (54 nmi)). It was also the first time an American manned space mission held the world record for duration, set on August 26, 1965, by breaking the Soviet Union's previous record set by Vostok 5 in 1963.

In looking at the cover note the position of the Cape Canaveral CDS compared to the killer bar lines in the machine cancel. There are two variations on this with the Cape Canaveral CDS even with the bars and lower as the one depicted here.

Only a few of the original artworks from Carl Swanson's cachets have come into collections and I was fortunate enough to acquire the Gemini 5 artwork for my Space Craft Cover collection. I only know of 3 other collectors who have one in their collections. Below is a scan of that Gemini 5 original artwork. The artwork is approximately 9 inches wide by 7 inches tall. It has a signed statement by Carl that it is an original artwork.

Original artwork for stamps as well as cachets is an interesting sideline to collecting the stamps and covers themselves. In terms of cachets artwork and/or films used to print the cachets I have seen or heard of them in collector hands for Space Craft Covers (as above), Andromeda/Cygnus covers, and Space Voyage covers.