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  Space Cover 626: Zaragoza TAL site

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 626: Zaragoza TAL site
Antoni RIGO
Member

Posts: 231
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 10-16-2021 09:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Antoni RIGO   Click Here to Email Antoni RIGO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 626 (Oct. 17, 2021)

Space Cover #626: Zaragoza TAL site

On September 30, 1992, the American base of Zaragoza closed its doors, in which NASA maintained a hangar for its functions of controlling the emergency runway of the space missions of the shuttles.

In spite of closure of the American base, Zaragoza Trans-Atlantic Landing site (TAL site) was operative until the last shuttle mission in 2011.

At this time, Zaragoza was the longest runway in Europe (4 km or 2,48 miles). As the rest of TAL’s sites worldwide, fortunately it was never used for emergency purposes as all shuttles landed in Edwards or Kennedy or White Sands (just for STS-3).

For each shuttle mission with launch trajectory over Zaragoza city, NASA sent a team of 60 people who together around 40 member of Spanish Army performed a pre-launch simulation and were prepared at all times before any complications after launch.

A very few philatelic covers were created to commemorate the activation of Zaragoza as TAL site, all of them bear the same rubber stamp cachet (in red or blue ink) with identical Zaragoza postmark. The STS number was added manually for each cover. It is supposed than less of 50 exemplars exist for each mission.

Below, the other three covers known by this collector.

If any collector has different Zaragoza TAL covers, in dates or illustrations, please be so kind to share images with others. Thanks.

yeknom-ecaps
Member

Posts: 747
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 10-16-2021 06:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great topic — another area to search for Zaragoza STS covers is the US APO AE 09646 cancel as I believe Bob Boudwin created covers for the shuttle flights with that cancel. Unfortunately I do not have a cover to scan with that postmark.

Bob Boudwin and Robert Rank both created covers from Rota, Spain — another TAL. Both Rota Spain and FPO AE 09644/09645 covers exist.

Antoni RIGO
Member

Posts: 231
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 10-17-2021 09:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Antoni RIGO   Click Here to Email Antoni RIGO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks Tom.

I already knew the existence of STS covers with US cancel for Zaragoza TAL site, but unfortunately I do not have any. If anyone has some, I will be pleased to buy them.

Rota, Spain will be the subject for a future SCOTW post. This time, I will enclose US FPO NY 09540 covers and information about different Rota postmarks.

Any offer for STS covers produced by Boudwin or Rank with US APO AE cancels referring Spanish TAL sites will be considered. Thanks.

Ken Havekotte
Member

Posts: 3317
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 10-17-2021 08:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'll check all of my shuttle cover boxes for any Zaragoza TAL site covers. I do have several in Spain with Rota-Naval postal cancels for shuttle flight coverage, mostly on Rank covers, during the early/mid-1980's. If there is any interest in seeing some of those issues, Antoni, let me know and I'll look forward to your future SCOTW report about Rota.

How about the Moron Air Base in Spain, which was another early shuttle TAL site, located about 75 miles northeast of the Naval Station at Rota?

It looks like Spain has been an active "space" support country, also, with a primary deep space tracking station (DSN) in Madrid. I've got covers with postal strikes in Madrid (2 types) and Valores for Pioneer Venus, Giotto, Mars Observer, and other planetary and deep space probes mostly on Rank cachet covers.

All times are CT (US)

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