posted 07-11-2015 02:25 PM               

Space Cover #325: ASTP Plus 40: Pre-launch covers

This week we will continue our 40th anniversary tribute to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project that was begun so well by Ray last week.

On July 16, 1975, forty years ago this month, a Saturn 1B rocket launched from KSC carrying three American astronauts on a mission to link-up with a 2-man Soyuz spacecraft, to accomplish the world's first international space link-up of manned spacecraft from two different countries.

The docking of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft took place on July 17 and after nine days in space, the Apollo Command Module, carrying astronauts Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton and Vance Brand, splashed down in the Pacific, completing the successful US/Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

But this successful 9-day international space mission required many years of planning and tests, and this week's SCOTW will present eight covers marking eight pre-launch milestones leading up to the successful Soyuz and Apollo launches and joint mission.

The cover at the top marks the September 7, 1974 arrival of the Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) at KSC and is autographed by George Jeffs, the President of Rockwell International. Below it is a cover autographed by the ASTP prime crew of Stafford, Slayton and Brand, on the first day of the 5-week Altitude Chamber Test at KSC.

The top cover is autographed by the US back-up crew of Alan Bean, Ron Evans and Jack Lousma, on the first day of the back-up crew's Altitude Chamber Test at KSC. The bottom cover marks the rollout of the Saturn 1B launch vehicle to Pad 39B and is autographed by Ike Rigell, the Director of Launch Vehicle Operations at KSC.

The top cover marks the ASTP Flight Controllers final simulation at JSC, and the cover below marks the ASTP crew's arrival at Patrick AFB, FL, on July 12, four days before liftoff.

The top cover marks the start of the final/terminal ASTP countdown at T-minus 42 hours, 20 minutes, and is autographed by Clyde Netherton, the Chairman of the ASTP Countdown Work Group, and below is a cover marking the Prime Recovery Ship USS New Orleans' departure for the prime recovery area and its first day at sea.

We have now covered a number of significant events and tests leading up to the launch and successful ASTP US/Soviet space mission, and to follow this, we will present covers for Apollo and Soyuz launches and events during and after the ASTP mission.

posted 07-11-2015 05:07 PM               

One of the pre-flight activities that I find most interesting is that the Russians flew a full dress rehearsal known as Soyuz 16. It launched on December 2, 1974 carrying Anatoly Filipchenko and Nikolai Rukavishnikov. They flew the ASTP flight profile, while the US and USSR performed cooperative tracking (as they would on ASTP).

Above is a Houston postmarked cover for the launch date, commemorating the joint tracking exercise.

Below is cover postmarked in Moscow for the landing and autographed by both crewmen. Filipchenko and Rukavishnikov then moved on to be the Russian backup crew for ASTP.

posted 07-12-2015 02:45 PM               

I was just getting out of high school in 1974 when my first pre-launch Apollo-Soyuz cover events were serviced and processed as illustrated here. Note that a simple one-color rubber-stamp cachet had been used, and on some of the earlier covers, an old standard typewriter of mine had provided a few short lines of text copy.

posted 07-12-2015 06:30 PM               

His fabulous printed cachet covers span into the many thousands — all different issues — from just about every space topic; manned spaceflight activities in every aspect, missile and rocket firings of all kinds, satellites, deep space probes, shuttle program tests and developmental events by the thousands, major anniversaries, all new space stamp issues, every available aerospace-related pictorial cancel, and much more! Not only from the U.S., but also, creating space covers from Japan, China, Canada, Russia, Africa, Australia, South America, and European counties such as Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the UK, and others.

It's an incredible legacy that Mr. Rank has left behind for all of us space cover and stamp collectors to enjoy.

posted 07-13-2015 08:09 AM               

Your KSC-related ASTP covers were certainly done well-enough and resulted in many pre-launch events and tests "covered" that probably would not have been done otherwise.

I've always felt that ASTP was the high-water mark for space cover collecting and Ken and a number of other enthusiastic space cover servicers, dealers and cachet makers certainly provided the hobby with an over abundance of covers for just about every ASTP event possible.

Looking through just my pre-launch ASTP covers from Ken (Space Coast Cover Service), these are many events/tests that Ken provided covers for:

• Instrument Unit added to Saturn 1B Launch Vehicle (Jan. 16, '75);
  
• Soyuz Docking System arrives at KSC (Jan. 17);
  
• 1st Day of ASTP Docking Test (Jan. 29);
  
• ASTP Saturn 1B Overall Test (May 15);
  
• ASTP Emergency Egress Ops (May 22);
  
• ASTP Flight Readiness Test (May 27);
  
• ASTP Leak Tests (June 13);
  
• ASTP Hypergolic S/C Loading (both 1st day and last day);
  
• ASTP CDDT Starts (June 25);
  
• Simulated vehicle ignition and liftoff/fully fueled (July 2);
  
• ASTP Final CDDT with Prime crew (July 3);
• Launch Escape System Ordnance Installed (July 10); etc.

posted 07-13-2015 10:36 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by onesmallstep:
One I haven't seen is with either the 'Apollo' or 'Soyuz' on the top, not the sides.

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posted 07-13-2015 11:33 AM               

All throughout the 1970s, space covers were indeed quite popular among many national and worldwide collectors. Collector interest was certainly at a peak during the mid-70s, but it was mostly due to the big space cover dealers that had requested covers to be cancelled/serviced for just about anything related to ASTP, Viking, and early shuttle program activities.

My firm was getting such requests constantly from space cover dealers like Boudwin, Rank, Anderson, Hacker, and from many German/European dealers and from cover/stamp club organizations.

There could be, actually, thousands of pre-stamped covers received from both dealers and collectors alike requesting cancel events almost on a weekly basis it would seem.

Yes, indeed, it was a busy time for this college student, but it was also lots of fun for this space cover enthusiast in which the cover fees and profits paid for all my schooling, transportation, in paying some bills, food, etc. as I had been with my parents and helping care for my ailing grandmother at the time. But the cover monies had also helped to expand my own space collections during those early years.

If a dealer requested a certain space event and their covers were received on time before the actual event happened, I felt it was my job to cancel and service whatever they wanted, no matter how minor such an event may have seemed to me.

posted 03-20-2017 03:08 PM               

They look very similar to the SCCS cachets as below:

posted 03-28-2017 09:48 PM               

Jack McMahan of the Houston Hobby Center (dba Manned Spaceflight Covers), if I recall, also had some of the covers available from his firm, however, his Houston-based space cover company offered their own cachet productions as well and for each day of a spaceflight mission. At the time, during the early 1970's, some of his printed covers would sell for as low as 60-cents apiece.

posted 03-29-2017 03:06 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by fimych:
In case you still have some ASTP pre-launch covers available, I would be glad to get them.

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Those that I have represent 25 different events from Jan. 14 to July 12, 1975. Most of the pre-launch event covers are in sets of three different cachet varieties with 1-2 ink rubber stamp applications, a color U.S. crew emblem and a color 3-D or "raised" international logo design (very nice).

For all of the above (more than 50 covers), how about just $35 postpaid within the USA via USPS Priority Mail? I'll also include a couple of extra ASTP surprise covers for you.