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  Ground track charts, rarity and/or value?

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Author Topic:   Ground track charts, rarity and/or value?
p51
Member

Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 11-16-2015 01:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was just given some ground track station/orbit charts for a couple of Gemini and Apollo 9 missions. All are from the timeframes of the missions.

They're really long, showing Mercator projections of the earth, with all the orbits outlined and large circles showing the tracking stations. On the back are detailed graphs of each orbit.

I was just curious how common these would be (I assume they're relatively common) and if they were used by NASA and the military or were given out to anyone who wrote in for one...

p51
Member

Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 11-17-2015 01:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Anyone?

I found something similar, all these charts look similar to this one (but of course are for different missions).

Go4Launch
Member

Posts: 542
From: Seminole, Fla.
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 11-17-2015 04:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Go4Launch   Click Here to Email Go4Launch     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
These charts were prepared, as they say, for NASA by USAF's Aeronautical Chart and Information Center and were printed in large quantities -- probably in the thousands, as they were widely distributed (although I doubt many collectors of the day "wrote in" for them, even if they were publicly-available). The question, as with many collectibles, is how many remain today?

In my experience, charts for Mercury especially and Gemini are fairly scarce (fewer made + the passage of time). They can go for $200+.

Apollo 11 charts command a premium among collectors; I see other Apollo charts on eBay occasionally and they usually bring about $75-$100. Lunar charts are more popular. A much wider variety of charts were created for the Apollo lunar flights for obvious reasons.

Shuttle tracking charts are pretty common and don't bring much.

Having any chart signed by the crew -- or flown status -- would obviously increase the value.

I think they look great on the wall but are expensive to frame!

Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member

Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 11-17-2015 06:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Go4Launch:
Shuttle tracking charts are pretty common and don't bring much.

What are uncommon among shuttle tracking charts are those for canceled or revised missions. The STS-51-DR is easy enough to find, but only once did I come across one labeled "STS-16 (41F)," which I had signed by Seddon before I let it go.

p51
Member

Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 11-18-2015 01:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the info. The missions are Gemini 5, 8 and Apollo 9, off the top of my head. There might be another Gemini one, I only looked at them once and I need to go back and spent more time reviewing them.

I assume the Gemini 8 one might be worth the most as the mission is very well known due to the abort Armstrong had to commit to.

None are in great shape, though.

I know all about the framing for something this size/shape, as I have a few WW2 'yard long' Army unit photos and know how much those suckers cost to frame!

All times are CT (US)

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