posted 06-25-2024 03:50 PM               

I received possibly astronaut Steve Thorne's last autograph. I received his shipment from Johnson Space Center (JSC) containing a signed letter, signed portrait and signed cover, all shown here, only two days before he died. His letter was dated on May 19, 1986, I received his shipment on May 22th and he was killed in a small plane crash on May 24th. I was shocked to read in the newspaper of his death only three days after receiving his autograph; it was somewhat surreal.

He was a passenger in a small stunt plane that crashed at an airshow in Santa Fe, New Mexico on May 24, 1986. He was still an astronaut candidate when he died but posthumously was given full NASA Astronaut status.

He was one of 13 members of NASA Astronaut Group 11/Class of 1985 and the only one not to fly on the space shuttle. By not being a flown astronaut and dying early, his autograph is certainly scarcer than most of those NASA astronauts who flew and thus were better known.

For all those brave/foolish/ambitious enough to pursue autographs of all the NASA astronauts from Group 1 through Group 23 (Hello! Anyone out there doing this?!), autographs of NASA astronauts, such as Steve Thorne and Patricia Hilliard Robertson of NASA Group 17 (who had a tragic fate similar to Thorne's), would be a real challenge to find (and afford).

It's hard enough to find autographs of all the NASA astronauts from all 23 groups who flew in space, but to include those who did not fly, makes it much more difficult, and because of the mostly poor signing habits of the last two to three NASA astronaut classes, completion is all but unattainable.

I was one of the brave/foolish/ambitious (pick one) collectors who tried for completion and for many years and many groups did quite well (it was a big challenge, but doable), but the last two groups have defeated me.

There are many NASA astronauts besides Thorne and Hillard who never flew for various reasons, and finding many of their autographs can be a huge challenge. The group includes, among others, Ed Givens, C.C. Williams, John Bull, F. Curtis Michel, Phil Chapman, Ted Freeman, Charles Bassett, Roger Chaffee, Elliot See, Brian O'Leary, Mike Smith, Yvonne Cagle and Gus Loria.

With the great difficulty and challenge of pursuing autographs of all the NASA astronauts (330 through Group 20), it is certainly much more popular to concentrate on autographs of just those that have flown and just be satisfied with those you can acquire. You'll need good luck and serious dedication in either case.