posted 08-03-2006 06:21 PM               

Those who know me, know I am an equal opportunity, astronaut and cosmonaut autograph collector. I define my collecting goals as "seeking the signature of any individual, from any country, who has ever been selected for space flight."

Up until now, that neatly included every individual to fly into space, as well as a large group of test pilots, scientists, and other professionals who were selected for a program but for one reason or another were never assigned a flight.

Dennis Tito does not fit this definition.

Tito was never selected. He just decided he wanted to go, and through a combination of good timing, good luck, and good financial backing, his wish was fulfilled. He was simply a paying passenger, much like those who have paid to fly aboard high performance military jets or to dive aboard deep sea submarines.

Does the simple fact that Tito flew in space qualify his autograph to be included in an astronaut and cosmonaut collection? The answer may be more complicated than you think.

Take for example, the obvious: Dennis Tito is the world's first space tourist. Most autograph collectors will agree that collecting the "firsts" is always desirable, as is demonstrated by the demand for autographs of Gagarin and Armstrong.

But is Tito really the first? Placing aside the Space Shuttle flights of payload specialists such as Charles Walker and Jake Garn (and out of respect, the late Christa McAuliffe), there have been several others who have flown with nothing more than their financial backing as justification. Saudi Arabian Prince Sultan al-Saud, Japanese reporter Toyohiro Akiyama, and UK contest winner Helen Sharman all fall into this category.

The primary difference then is the source of the flight's funding. Dennis Tito is the world's first self-financed space tourist.

If you can accept the above reasoning, and still seek to collect the autographs of al-Saud, Akiyama, and Sharman, then there should be no question as to whether to collect Tito.

Or is there?

The question remains, where do we draw the line? When do astronauts cease being heroes and start being passengers?

If we look toward aviation history for guidance, most collectors would agree that the autographs of Charles Lindbergh and Chuck Yeager are desirable. Yet, no one collects the autographs of every trans-Atlantic airline pilot nor do many (if any) collect today's military test pilots. Somewhere along the course of history, a distinction was made between trail blazer and follower.

Such a division has yet to clearly present itself among those who fly into space. Some collectors draw the line between pre- and post- Space Shuttle eras, but of those that do, many will admit that their decision was based on historical significance rather than the status of today's astronaut corps. Tito presented our first test case as to who is and who is not an astronaut.

It is possible that Tito's place within our collections might not become clear until several more tourists fly. Depending on how events proceed, Tito may remain an oddity for years to come, allowing (ironically) justification for seeking his signature.

Eventually though, there will be others, and as that number increases, collectors will face a tough decision. A distinction will need to be made between those sent to space to conduct research and those simply there for the experience. Without this division, our collections will become unwieldy as undoubtedly the number of tourists will grow to dwarf the explorers.

So, where does that leave us with Tito?

Is he worthy of a place in our collections now, only to be removed in the future? Or should we start drawing the "line in the sand" now?

posted 08-04-2006 07:00 AM               

Luckily the M-G-A (including Skylab and ASTP) autographs I have in my collection were collected years ago in person and free.

I include shuttle astronauts because I believe the shuttle program has been a pioneering effort. We have learned many things that we didn't know before about living and working in space. The more I learn about the fragility of the vehicle the more I admire the men and women who fly it.

posted 08-04-2006 12:31 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
I wrote an editorial on this very subject titled "Mr. Tito, Do I Want Your Autograph?"

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posted 08-06-2006 08:51 PM               

• Personal Meaning
  
• Historic Significance
  
• Complete Set (Cast versus Crew)
  
• Fun to Share

posted 08-08-2006 03:36 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Machodoc:
For me my interest is limited to the M-G-A groups plus Skylab. Beyond that, I simply lose interest.

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Agreed.

posted 08-10-2006 04:28 PM            

I agree with Mark when I say that the line hasn't been drawn, and also with RMH when I say that Binnie and Melvill will always be separate from space tourists. When space tourism does get popular, I will probably only collect autographs from the pilots, if there are any.

posted 08-10-2006 04:37 PM               

Collecting is a very personal matter. If you think that an item can be an addition to your collection you try to get it.

Some day I did it the reverse way... I started collecting signatures of the men who made spaceflights possible, the post WWII test pilots and the engineers of WWII (in the US, in Russia, in the UK and in France).

posted 02-08-2019 09:41 AM               

Someone said they wouldn't collect the new suborbital guys. But then why collect the X-15, or even the MOL or X-20 pilots?

Someone else said to me that while they have Melvill, Binne, and now Stucky, they would stop after a while. What's the tipping point?

When they fly on a regular basis? Is that why some people stopped collecting autographs after M/G/A (including Skylab and ASTP) and didn't pursue the Shuttle astronauts?

When the first flight carries paying passengers?

posted 02-08-2019 10:09 AM               

Twelve years later, I now think the answer to the original question, "When to stop collecting astronaut signatures?" is when it is obvious to do so. To draw a comparison with aviation, I don't think anyone today stands around in airports to seek the autographs of every passenger to get off an airliner because it is obvious the activity does not merit such. But you do see people still lining up at flight lines at air shows to get the autographs of the Blue Angels or other performance team.

I think it will become obvious when we transition from every spacecraft occupant being an astronaut to there being flight crews and passengers, just as we went from every aircraft occupant being an aviator.

Where that obvious line is drawn may be different for different people. Eventually, it will settle out by the trends of the day, just as other collecting trends come and go.

posted 02-11-2019 04:24 PM               

Mike Melvill in particular is a facinating, unlikely story. A high school dropout who buys a Rutan kit plane, comes to Mojave and ends up working with the designer for decades. He then found himself in the right place at the right time to fly the first private vehicle into suborbital space.

The SS2 accident demonstrated in the starkest of ways the dangers this new category of commercial astronauts face. The wings they are awarded by the FAA are harder earned than any other "rating" simply because of the risks that are taken.

posted 02-22-2019 05:22 AM               

For 30 years, I was happy with what I had until I stumbled upon the Novaspace site in the late 90's. I went back and looked at my original stack of autographs and decided to get all the moonwalkers. When I had those, I went for the CMPs. Then I went back and collected the Mercury and Gemini astronauts.

I thought my collection was complete until I purchased an STS-1 autographed crew photo. I never had any intention of getting any shuttle astronauts, but I found myself falling into them one crew at a time. I now have 91 of the 135 shuttle autographed crew photos. In total, the other 300 or so photos in my collection are all Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts.

posted 02-22-2019 08:13 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by machbusterman:
Those pilots deserve a damn sight more credit...

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posted 06-10-2019 08:43 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by yeknom-ecaps:
One question I haven't seen any opinions on is "when to stop collecting astronaut signatures?"

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NASA said on Friday it will open up the International Space Station to business ventures including space tourism as it seeks to financially disengage from the orbiting research lab. Price tag? Tens of millions of dollars for a round trip ticket and US$35,000 a night.