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Author
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Topic: Astronauts' cancelled mission autographs
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RichieB16
Member Posts: 552
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 07-06-2008 04:38 PM
   
One of my favorite type of autographs is when you find one that has been inscribed with the astronauts missions... especially the one's that were signed before the flight and then plans were changed. A great example of this would be (and I'm just making this up)... if you had a Fred Haise signed pic with STS-2 in the inscription. One of my favorite autographs is similar to this. It is a Donald Thomas signed litho that I received when I wrote to him at JSC in 2001. At that time, he was assigned a 5th spaceflight... he was a member of the ISS-6 crew. He was later replaced by Donald Pettit due to medical reasons and never flew in space again. I really like this piece for this reason. I think its neat that you can pinpoint when it was signed based on the plans of the program at the time. Maybe its just me, but I really like that. So, I figured I would post a pic of it to share with the group. I was wondering if anyone else has a piece like this they would share?  
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FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-06-2008 05:23 PM
quote:
Originally posted by RichieB16:
I think its neat that you can pinpoint when it was signed based on the plans of the program at the time.
I'd be wary of assuming that is always the case. For example, I have a photo Dave Leestma gave me that was signed noting three missions that he did fly, plus one that he did not (STS 61-E). As he flew his last two missions long after 61-E was cancelled, it's evident that this photo was signed much later.I also have a photo of Fred Haise doing shuttle training that he gave me in the late 1980s, signed "Proposed CDR, STS-3," long after that had lapsed. One thing I have seen a couple of astronauts do which would "date" some items is to write their missions out and put the ones they are assigned to but have yet to fly in parentheses. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 07-06-2008 08:20 PM
Back in 1987, Dave Leestma sent me a photo signed by the 61 E flight crew. I believe it is the only signed piece I have from a cancelled mission. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-07-2008 12:40 AM
Here are two examples that astronauts gave me of signed photos from missions cancelled post-Challenger but signed long after the cancellation. 
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-07-2008 11:50 AM
When Michael Foreman signed for me in 2005, he was still expected to fly on STS-120 (he was ultimately moved to STS-123). |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-07-2008 12:06 PM
Edward Aldridge was surprised that people wanted his autograph, because he never flew.... He signed my copy of "Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years" with the added inscription, "STS-62A". |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-07-2008 04:49 PM
One more.... I no longer have the piece, but I believe I did get Dick Gordon to sign not Apollo 12 but "Apollo 18"....I also no longer have a poster of a LEASAT deployment with Brandenstein, et. al., including Jarvis (but not Walker) signed STS-51D. While not conclusive, I would like to think the piece was signed during the brief time 51D was a six-member crew.... From time to time I've seen canceled shuttle crew autographs on eBay; one that sticks out in my mind was for the EOM-1 (51K?) mission, which was led by Brand-Smith. It was unclear whether it was indeed a crew-signed piece (e.g., signed by the whole crew at the time) or reconstructed by putting it together signature by signature. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-13-2008 08:54 PM
Just checked: Bob Phillips signed my book, not with STS-61D, but with STS-40. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 01-21-2015 07:26 PM
Here's the cover for the 61K FDF signed by Bob Stewart, who added "STS-41B/51J/61K (if it had flown)." And while he didn't add the canceled mission number, Jim Bagian signed my 61I FDF cover as well. |
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