Posts: 3114
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 09-27-2020 07:01 PM               

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Here's a fun thought that I have been wondering about lately. Which former NASA astronaut, rather living or not, has signed the most autographs to date, whether in person, through the mail, or in any other capacity?

At first, I was thinking it had to be either Neil Armstrong or John Glenn, however, there might be a chance that Buzz Aldrin might hold the all-time signing record.

It was Aldrin, way back when, that first hit the promotional space road traveling all across the globe which included autograph signings of all types, especially in doing so many public space shows and functions, numerous book signings of different issues, personal appearances, and more. But Aldrin, in later years though, did charge exceedingly for anything being signed.

Armstrong gets a lot of credit for his tremendous effort in granting signatures, at no charge, for perhaps multi-thousands of mailed-in requests all throughout his NASA and post-astronaut career.

What about Glenn, well, since the Project Mercury postal stamp First Day Issue came out in 1962 on the same day as his historic MA-6/Friendship 7 orbital flight, we know the pioneer astronaut-senator signed multi-thousands of the postal covers since then. But the generous signer continued to keep autographing, at no charge, all throughout his U.S. Senate career, shuttle flight, and even into his retirement years. So from 1959 until 2016, Glenn had lots of time in signing and once he became America's first to orbit the earth, his popularity soared and never did stop, in my opinion.

Glenn also signed everything put before him while Armstrong and Aldrin did have signing restrictions after the Apollo 11 lunar explorers got back from the moon.
So would Glenn be Number 1 on the list?

Other astronauts that may be high up on the list could possibly be Jim Irwin, mostly as an evangelist with his ministry travels worldwide during the 70's and 80's, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Charlie Duke, Gene Cernan, Ed Mitchell, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and perhaps Fred Haise.

Posts: 2620
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 09-27-2020 07:55 PM               

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Included in Aldrin's "item" signings would be the number of book signings he would have done for both of his non-fiction and fiction books.

Due to the number of books Buzz has authored I believe that may put him with the most.

Posts: 111
From:
Registered: Aug 2018

posted 09-27-2020 08:33 PM               

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From my point of view, it has to be either Armstrong, Aldrin, or Glenn. Many of the astronauts have been more accessible, of course. Fred Haise still signs for Infinity Science Center, Scott Carpenter never used an autopen, etc. But I think the key factor is long-term daily demand.

In this sense, Armstrong is the clear favorite. And his generosity in signing would have resulted in tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of signatures. However, he died relatively young, and he stopped signing long before that. And those two factors probably rule him out.

Aldrin, of course, is the most publicity-hungry astronaut of them all, so his signatures are everywhere. He's probably the only Apollo astronaut today who can't go in public without being swarmed by fans. However, Aldrin has surely reduced his output by charging steep fees. He once made an appearance at a Comic Con next door to my office. I was so excited, until I realized that getting a photo and an autograph would cost about $900. Most people simply can't pay that kind of money. I'd have loved to meet him, but I'd never pay that kind of money to stand in line for hours at a crowded Comic Con for a 7-second photo op.

So my bet is John Glenn. Partly because he lived to old age, signed many autographs at no cost, and always remained in the public eye. But also because his political career must have made him the easiest astronaut to track down in the pre-internet era. Finding a mailing address for Armstrong would have posed something of a challenge decades ago. But John Glenn was a senator for almost 25 years, and it would have been very easy to find his Senate address.

Posts: 111
From:
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posted 09-27-2020 09:41 PM               

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Another interesting consideration is that these men not only represent the most prolific signers in their field, but possibly all of human history. Their fame lasted their entire adult lives, and they always made time to sign.

Most famous people rarely sign anything, even in their slower years. Former presidents, movie stars, major professional athletes, and popular musicians almost never reply to letters or make themselves available to the public. Armstrong/Glenn/Aldrin spent a significant portion of their everyday lives responding to letters and signing autographs, and I can't think of anyone else who did that for decades on end.

Of course, there are celebrities who make a career of attending every single autograph convention they can. But that kind of fame wanes over time. I'd heard that Pete Rose constantly makes public appearances. And one day, I walked into a store and was immediately approached by his assistant. "Sir, you're very lucky to have come in today, because Pete Rose is here, and he's signing baseballs for only $20!" I glanced over, and Pete was sitting at a fold-out card table in the corner, totally alone. It was intensely awkward.

There are some long-term prolific signers out there, but they're usually people who aren't famous enough for it to be a hassle. Michael Palin of Monty Python will sign anything from his website at no cost, for example. And he's been famous for 50 years too. But I just can't imagine him getting as many requests as Neil Armstrong.

So I'd bet that Glenn, Armstrong or Aldrin have perhaps signed more autographs than any other human beings in world history, not just among the astronaut corps.

Posts: 1489
From: Kew, Victoria, Australia
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Posts: 26
From: Saginaw, MI USA
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 09-27-2020 10:10 PM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by hbw60:
So I'd bet that Glenn, Armstrong or Aldrin have perhaps signed more autographs than any other human beings in world history, not just among the astronaut corps.

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I agree on your thoughts about the most prolific astronauts. That said, I suspect President Jimmy Carter has signed far more autographs than even John Glenn.

In part, this is because he's often a willing signer of photos and other items people approach him with. The biggest reason though is because of the numerous books he's authored.

President Carter has written or contributed to over 30 books and has held numerous book signings for most of them. I've been to several where the line snaked through Costco stores and he'd stay and sign every book. He also signs books sent to him through the mail (sometimes via bookplate but still a real signature).

Posts: 111
From:
Registered: Aug 2018

posted 09-27-2020 10:38 PM               

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I'm glad you mentioned President Carter, because I was actually thinking of him when I wrote my post. When I wrote that former presidents rarely sign, I thought to myself, "well, except Jimmy Carter." He's always been really great.

However, public interest in Carter's autograph wouldn't have really spiked until he became president, when he was in his mid-fifties. John Glenn, on the other hand, became a world-famous astronaut in his thirties. So he had an extra 15+ years of public attention. In their later years, Carter probably signed more autographs. But with a lifetime total, I'd still bet on Glenn. But it's hard to say. Your points are very convincing.

Posts: 193
From: Rocky Point, NY, USA
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 09-29-2020 11:34 AM               

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It's a very interesting question. And, as earlier answer pointed out, one on which it is hard to gather statistical data. I do observe that autographs of Buzz Aldrin will appear in greater quantity in many auctions, followed by Neil Armstrong. John Glenn autographs do appear, but not as frequently as those of Aldrin and Armstrong.

For example, in the upcoming (October 2020) RR Auction space sale, in addition to the crew signed covers and photos, there are 10 individually signed pieces by Aldrin, six by Neil Armstrong, and three by John Glenn.

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From: Saginaw, MI USA
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From: Texas * Earth
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Posts: 160
From: Middletown, NJ, USA
Registered: May 2010

posted 09-30-2020 10:09 AM               

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Would second that. Buzz's numerous book signings have been an amazing feat to observe. Signing almost non-stop for 4 hours each time and at many venues on his book tours. No extra charge for signing the books. I don't know how he does it. He has not stopped like Armstrong did.

Glenn must be a close second as he never charged for his autograph and was accepting requests up to the very end. Both beloved and generous men.

Posts: 35
From: Canada
Registered: May 2005

posted 09-30-2020 01:40 PM            

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I agree that it's Buzz. His fame transcends merely space buffs and he remains recognizable to many non-space buffs even today.

His kindness and generosity through the mail was unlimited for decades and while Armstrong and Glenn would readily sign 1-2 items per request, Buzz really had no limits at all for much of that time (and I remember when the NASA envelopes he used were hand addressed by him and my self-addressed stamped envelope was tucked-up inside unused along with the autographs). The queues were always long at book signings and you'd often find a stack of signed books leftover for later sale afterwards.

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Posts: 851
From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 09-30-2020 06:30 PM               

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Buzz Aldrin is the most prolific signer in my opinion.

Here is another kind Buzz story. At the 2001 National Space Society (maybe) conference in Albuquerque, Buzz signed one item per person at no charge. He signed a magazine cover that already had a nice Neil Armstrong autograph for me.

He was really amazing to watch with kids. Very patient and willing to simplify and explain some complex ideas. One 9-10 year-old kid got into a detailed technical discussion with Buzz.

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Posts: 399
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 11-20-2020 07:52 AM               

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One forgotten frequent signer is Jim Irwin. He's been dead for more than 30 years and there are so many of his autographs around that one can still be had for around $150.

Granted, he's not the most popular astronaut, but I think a lot of people might be mistaking popularity for frequency. Also, once astronauts started charging, their frequency of signing diminished because they rarely signed for free after they started charging. Buzz Aldrin is a prime example. As others have stated, not many can afford to plop down $600 for an autograph.

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Posts: 3232
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 11-20-2020 11:10 AM            

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quote:

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Originally posted by schnappsicle:
Granted, he's not the most popular astronaut, but I think a lot of people might be mistaking popularity for frequency.

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I'm sure you didn't mean that Jim Irwin was "unpopular" but in case anyone misinterprets the remark, I would like to point out that during my three meetings with him between 1983 and 1986 here in Northern Ireland he was friendly, courteous, polite, enthusiastic, approachable and VERY patient as people surrounded him for (free) autographs.

In terms of "autograph popularity" it's obvious that Neil Armstrong's signature will always be highly-prized and much sought-after, but the autographs of all 12 Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon will surely always be in a class of their own.

Posts: 399
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Jan 2012

posted 11-20-2020 12:28 PM               

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Sorry for the confusion. I was in no way trying to say Irwin was unpopular, only that he is unpopular among non-space enthusiasts. Everyone on the planet knows Armstrong and Aldrin, but very few outside of our community have ever heard of Irwin or most of the other moonwalkers.

If I had to guess, the people who only have one astronaut autograph in their collection have either Armstrong or Aldrin, not only for the historical value, but because of the many iconic photos Armstrong shot during the 2.5 hours he was on the lunar surface.

I never had the privilege of meeting Mr. Irwin, but I wrote him frequently in the early 70's and he always included an autographed photo in his replies (which were all hand written) even when I didn't request one. Once he even sent me three covers from Israel that he signed. I have a huge amount of respect for Jim Irwin, not only for what he did, but more importantly, for who he was.

Posts: 3232
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 11-20-2020 09:43 PM            

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I completely understand what you mean, but it is again unfortunate that you say he is "unpopular among non-space enthusiasts." Surely you mean "unknown" or "not remembered" among non-space enthusiasts? That would apply to all but a handful of astronauts (and cosmonauts).

We space enthusiasts must try all the harder to make sure that these pioneers are remembered — at least among those who value pioneering exploration!