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  Space Cover 431: Gene Cernan: A Tribute

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 431: Gene Cernan: A Tribute
Bob M
Member

Posts: 1744
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-18-2017 04:05 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 431 (August 20, 2017)

Space Cover #431: Astronaut Gene Cernan: A Tribute

Astronaut Gene Cernan, one of the twelve men to walk on the moon, passed away at age 82 on January 16, 2017.

US Navy Captain Gene Cernan was one of fourteen astronauts selected in NASA's third astronaut group in 1963. Then in 1966, Cernan and Thomas Stafford, as the Gemini-Titan 9 back-up crew, became the prime crew upon the tragic deaths of the original GT-9 prime crew of See and Bassett.

Their GT-9A flight was beset with problems, with their Agena target vehicle exploding upon takeoff. Their flight was delayed until a second Agena was successfully launched, but a protective shroud only partially deployed, leaving the Agena looking like "an angry alligator," as observed by Stafford.

A later EVA on GT-9A by Cernan, only the second EVA by an American, was unsuccessful and full of problems, with Cernan calling it a spacewalk from hell (see SCOTW #371).

Cernan's second spaceflight, Apollo 10,was a lunar orbital mission and paved the way for Apollo 11's successful moon landing. Then on Apollo 17, the Apollo Program's last flight to the moon, Cernan, along with Jack Schmitt, became the last of the twelve men to walk on the moon. Cernan and Schmitt covered 22 miles using a Lunar Rover during their 22 hours of lunar exploration and returned 249 pounds of lunar material to earth. Cernan, along with Jim Lovell and John Young, have the distinction of being the only three people to travel to the moon twice.

The cover at the top marks the Gemini-Titan 9A flight and is signed by the crew of Cernan and Stafford. It bears a USN Atlantic Recovery Fleet rubber stamp cachet and is canceled aboard the USS Wasp, the GT-9A Prime Recovery Ship.

These two covers mark Cernan's two lunar flights. The top cover is an Apollo 10 NASA Exchange crew patch/mission emblem launch cover and is signed by the crew. The bottom cover, with an official Apollo 17 NASA/KSC rubber stamp cachet, is signed by the Apollo 17 crew.

This impressive cover was signed for me by Cernan in Atlanta during his "Last Man on the Moon" book tour, and noted by Cernan that he was the 11th moonwalker.

bobslittlebro
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Posts: 179
From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A.
Registered: Nov 2009

posted 08-19-2017 08:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for bobslittlebro   Click Here to Email bobslittlebro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great autographed covers as always Bob. Back in the early days of our Astronaut autograph collecting and receiving the autographs thru the mail Apollo 17 was the easiest of all of the Apollo crews to complete.

Bob M
Member

Posts: 1744
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-19-2017 03:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks, Tim. Yes, the Apollo 17 crew was very good about signing covers back in the good old days, along with the Apollo 9, Apollo 12 and Apollo 15 crews especially. The most difficult crews were Apollo 8 (Anders), Apollo 10 and Apollo 11. Alan Shepard signed off and on, making Apollo 14 crew signed covers not too common, along with Apollo 16.

In my opinion, possibly Apollo 15 crew signed covers are more plentiful than Apollo 17's. It's certainly between those two.

Back to Gene Cernan. Capt. Cernan was a generous and cooperative signer and certainly signed many GT-9, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17 covers.

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 2913
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 08-21-2017 05:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Boy were those the days, Bob, when a space collector and enthusiast could simply mail in space covers (with no signing fees) to be autographed by most Apollo crewmen.

I love your Apollo 10 crew signed emblem cover (NASA Exchange), however, it had to be signed by Cernan (and I am sure by Stafford and Young as well) before Cernan flew to the moon as commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972.

As Bob and Tim pointed out, from a time period throughout the 1970s and perhaps into the early 1980s, Apollo 17 was perhaps the easiest crew to get signatures from with mail-ins. But I can't recall Schmitt being that accessible until after his leaving the astronaut corps when the scientist-astronaut had been assigned to other non-astronaut NASA duties and throughout his US Senate career.

The Apollo crews of 9, 12, 13, 14, and 15 were good as well, however, Scott was not always that easy until after his Apollo 15 cover episode unfolded in 1972.

Another good-signing crew throughout the 70/80s would have to be Apollo 12, however, Bean was difficult at times in using his autopen.

The same also could apply to Shepard on Apollo 14 and 13's Haise and Swigert, from my recollection, along with Young of the 5th lunar landing mission. Shepard was even known to return covers back to the sender with an added note, "Out of business, AS," or something like that.

Apollo 16 crewmen Young and Mattingly were perhaps, in my opinion, always difficult cover signers during the 70's and post period.

Long and behold, though, maybe an honorable mention should go to second moonwalker Aldrin! He did sign covers quite frequently from 1969-79 with no fees whatsoever!

Bob M
Member

Posts: 1744
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-22-2017 03:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, Ken, those were the days, but they also had their disappointments and problems. Autopens ruined many a partially crew signed cover, with Bean, Mattingly, Haise and Stafford some of the offenders. Others, such as Scott, Young and Shepard, were on-and-off signers, and I got one of those "Sorry, out of business" notes from Shepard. But later, Shepard was a wonderful signer, as were some of the others. For example, it was great news when Alan Bean announced that he'd sign anything for a fee (seems like it was only $10), so that guaranteed an authentic autograph from him and eliminated the fear of his autopen ruining a special item.

And Buzz Aldrin, after nicely signing covers until the tenth anniversary of Apollo 11, developed a phobia of covers that continues to this day.

Yes, the Apollo 10 cover was signed before Apollo 17 and was signed during the Apollo 10 crew's pre-flight training at KSC. It was one of five Apollo crew signed mission emblem covers that I was fortunate to acquire — but for non-bargain prices — from the son of a KSC official.

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