posted 03-19-2022 05:59 PM               

As Robert said, it had been 56 years that the first "big rocket" rollout had occurred at Kennedy's Launch Complex 39 area transporting a full-size "test" Apollo/Saturn V rocket (AS-500F) from the huge VAB to Pad 39A. That was in May 1966, and in August 1967, saw the first "real" Saturn V (AS-501) make its 3.4-mile trek to the launch pad for the mighty moon rocket's maiden launch and flight without a crew aboard.

Rollout space covers: As an avid postal space cover collector, to the best of my knowledge, I don't recall seeing any covers posted for either of the above mentioned first rollouts of a Saturn V. Why? At that time in 1966/67, the Kennedy Space Center Philatelic Society was already in operation for about a year, but in addition, there were numerous space cover and stamp dealers in operation all across the country and in Europe. Why were there no rollout space cover issued as both the KSC and Cape Canaveral (Merritt Island should also be included) post offices were in service?

Below is another panel display presentation, this time, of course, with rollout events. Those depicted here start with Apollo 14 in Nov. 1970 and end 20 years later in 1990 with a signed and documented "carried" shuttle rollout cover aboard CT-2, the same but modified tractor-like crawler vehicle used for the SLS. I know there must be other rollout commemorative covers from Apollo 12 and 13, however, I can't recall seeing any others before 1970, but I will keep checking over my cover boxes for any different prior rollouts.

Note the many different rollout cachet cover designs, such as Centennial Covers, Inner & Outer Space, Cygnus, Astro- Documenta, Cisco, Space City Cover Society, Solar Covers for Apollo 16's rollback from the pad, and even one of my own first printed cachets for a space event (ASTP Rollout in March 1975), along with a couple of unknown two-color rubber stamp cachets for Skylab 3 and 4.

Okay veteran space cover collectors, let's see what you have in celebrating the history of rollout covers from Launch Complex 39. Would love to see some earlier issues.

posted 03-22-2022 06:37 AM               

I have only a few rollout covers you've displayed, including the last two at bottom right; one from you and one like yours that I had done that was carried on the shuttle STS-31 rollout for the HST deploy.