Posts: 42985
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-18-2004 10:51 PM               

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(Space Unit Release) -- The Space Unit of the American Topical Association and American Philatelic Association has released a new CD disk entitled, Project Apollo Space Cover Catalog. This CD holds the entire 272 page book fully illustrated in color. The work is divided into six sections.

Section one lists each mission, commencing with the Saturn Rocket precursors, SA1 through SA 7 (Saturn-Apollo) continuing through the final manned flight to the moon, Apollo 17. This section lists known cachets and cancellation sites, showing whether the known cancellations are HC (hand cancelled) or MC (machine cancelled) and giving an alphabetical value to each cover. Space cover collectors know well that certain types of cachets, such as Swanson, Goldey and the official NASA cachets are more sought after and hence more valuable than other cachets. Among the Recovery Ship Covers, the Beck cachets are the most desired. Many covers are illustrated throughout the 106 pages in this section.

Appendix A is a 2-page Project summary of all Apollo missions giving the crew names and the names of the Primary Recovery Ships along with the dates of each of the 24 flights.

Appendix B attempts to identify printed cachets produced during the Apollo program with over 180 color illustrations in 68 pages. Appendix C does the same thing with Rubber Stamp Cacheted covers with 120 illustrations in 40 pages.

Appendix D is a 31-page reference to 178 personnel of the Apollo program. This section not only identifies these people but also lists their roles in various flights, and includes autograph or autopen signatures of many of these individuals. Finally, Appendix E is a compendium of the support locations of the Apollo missions, listing tracking stations for each flight along with the Manned Space Flight Network locations, the NASA Communication Network, Apollo Instrumentation Ships and aircraft.

This is the most thorough research of the Apollo program ever written and can serve historical purposes as well as philatelic.

The author, Paul Bulver, has previously produced the Suspect Space Cover Handbook on CD for which all proceeds were donated to the Space Unit and he has made the same donation of this scholarly work. The CD is available for $14.00 postpaid to non-Space Unit residents of the US and Canada and $17.00 overseas surface mail. Space Unit members, or those joining, receive a $2.00 deduction. The CD can be purchased from the Space Unit – PO Box 780241- Maspeth, NY 11378. Copies of the Suspect Space Cover CD are still available at the same prices as are listed above via cash, MasterCard or Visa or PayPal. See stargate.1usa.com/stamps/ for additional information.

[This message has been edited by Robert Pearlman (edited March 19, 2004).]