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Author
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Topic: Vanguard TV3 launch covers?
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Axman
Member Posts: 11
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 03-21-2023 12:40 PM
  
Given the widespread publicity at the time, and precedents having been firmly set with previous cacheted covers (Fluegel's Fort Bliss Centennial cover of 1948 to name but one), I'm surprised that no launch cover was produced for Vanguard TV3.I know for a fact that neither Sarzin or Goldey made one, but, did anybody? Are there, no matter how rare, actual cacheted launch covers postmarked 6th December 1957 for the little doomed 'grapefruit' satellite launch attempt? |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3594
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 03-21-2023 05:55 PM
There was a cover-stamp auction recently that listed a Goldey collection of a series of three (3) that included a Vanguard 3 (TV3) launch cover from Patrick AFB along with both TV-1 and 2. The date provided was correct for TV3 on Sept. 18, 1959. Has anyone seen this auction with the illustrated Vanguard covers or was the third cover not TV3? |
yeknom-ecaps
Member Posts: 797
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-21-2023 10:47 PM
Ken - you are thinking of Vanguard 1 to 3, not Vanguard TV-1 to TV-3. - Vanguard TV-1 was May 1, 1957
- Vanguard TV-2 was October 23, 1957
- Vanguard TV-3 was December 6, 1957
I have never seen any item postmarked for any of these three events. For that matter, I actually haven't seen any launch cover from Port Canaveral/PAFB before Explorer 1 - has anyone seen any?Goldcraft, Sarzin, etc. all seem to have started with Explorer 1. Unfortunately many early servicers did not service covers for unsuccessful flights (who would want a failed flight?). |
Axman
Member Posts: 11
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 03-22-2023 08:08 AM
Wow, interesting... I think you've hit on something I hadn't thought of. It would appear that during the very early days of space exploration ONLY successful satellites were celebrated with the release of a cacheted cover. Unsuccessful orbital attempts, plus sounding rocket aeronomy, ionospheric, and missile development launches were all totally ignored!I've gone back and used Goldcraft as the examplar to test this hypothesis. And the correlation holds completely throughout the late 1950s until the late autumn of 1958. Despite the plethora of rocket launches throughout the mid 50s onward I've only found mention of non-space Goldcraft covers (eight FDCs, six Texas events, one American anniversaries, two gold themed). Then, beginning in 1958 of the orbital attempts: - 31 Jan Explorer 1, successful ✓, Goldcraft cover ✓
- 5 Feb Vanguard 1b failure X, Goldcraft x
- 5 Mar Explorer 2, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 17 Mar Vanguard 1, successful ✓, Goldcraft ✓
- 26 Mar Explorer 3, successful ✓, Goldcraft ✓
- 29 Apr Vanguard 2A, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 28 May Vanguard 2B, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 26 Jun Vanguard 2C, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 25 Jul Pilot 1, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 26 Jul Explorer 4, successful ✓, Goldcraft ✓
- 12 Aug Pilot 2, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 17 Aug Pioneer, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 22 Aug Pilot 3, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 24 Aug Explorer 5, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 25 Aug Pilot 4, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 26 Aug Pilot 5, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 28 Aug Pilot 6, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 26 Sep Vanguard 2D, failure X, Goldcraft x
- 11Oct Pioneer 1, success?, Goldcraft ✓
- 23Oct Beacon 1, failure X, Goldcraft x
The correlation is total. Cachets were only produced for successful orbital launches. Unsuccessful orbital attempts, plus sounding rocket aeronomy, ionospheric, and missile development launches were all ignored by Goldcraft. And then something changed... - 8 Nov Pioneer 2, failure X, Goldcraft ✓
And on 28 Nov Goldcraft produced a cover for an Atlas sub-orbital launch (by no means the first Atlas launch). And starting in 1959 he produced his first SAM missile cover (Bomarc), his first airdrop cover (Green Quail) and his first aeronomy mission (Nike-Achilles).And before long covers celebrating launch failures were regularly being produced. I wonder what caused the change? The difficulty of defining success (was Pioneer 1 a success, a successful failure or a failure)? Was it the creation of NASA? Was it the increasing pace of rocket development? A change in the American cultural psyche? More monetary opportunities? Or just an inevitable evolution of space-based cachet making? |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3594
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 03-22-2023 08:54 AM
Very good conversation points Axman and Dennis! I've got some Vanguard 1 and 2 launch covers, mostly from Patrick AFB, but some of mine do have a second air force base machine cancel type that I need to further check out. They came from a pair of earlier space cover services that were postal workers at Cocoa/Rockledge, and at times, the air base all throughout the late 1950/60/70's.Very insightive observations, Axman, in detecting the lack of failed early space shots being recorded philatelically. I'll check over my 1950's covers as I do recall a few rubber stamp wordings that indicate a failed launch and/or not achieving orbit. |
Axman
Member Posts: 11
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 03-22-2023 10:03 AM
Please do. I'd love to know which ones you have. Thanks. |
micropooz
Member Posts: 1672
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 03-22-2023 06:34 PM
Actually it is Axman and Tom (yeknom-ecaps). I (Dennis) don't have a horse in this race...  |
Ken Havekotte
Member Posts: 3594
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 03-22-2023 07:27 PM
Thanks Dennis and sorry about that Tom and what's Axman's first name if he cares to reveal (or just use Axman)? |
Axman
Member Posts: 11
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023
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posted 03-23-2023 11:43 AM
Hi... It's Alan. Or Axe. I respond to either. | |
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