posted 05-19-2005 07:42 AM               

We will try to post news and comments about Space Philately here on a regular basis.

• According to Linn's Stamp News www.linns.com the USPS authorized a space cancel to be used in Louisburg, NC on April 23 to note the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. The pictorial cancellation will be available to collectors for one month. Send your stamped self-addressed covers or cards in a separate envelope to: International Whistlers Convention Station, 125 N. Main St., Louisburg, NC 27549-9998. Request this specific cancel.
  
• The Marshall Islands issued a block of four stamps on May 2nd to note the 50th Anniversary of the AFDCS. One of the four stamps actually shows a first day cover of the US Apollo XI "First Man on the Moon" stamp (issued 9 Sep 1969). For more information call 1-800-443-3232 or go to http://www.unicover.com/H0004288.htm
  
• The Republic of the Marshall Islands, a group of islands NE of Australia and roughly halfway between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea in the North Pacific Ocean (literally in the middle of nowhere), will soon issue a set of five stamps featuring the Space Shuttle. The set, designed by Paul and Chris Calle, will be issued on the date of launch of the Discovery on its Return to Space. For more information call 1-800-443-3232 or go to: http://www.unicover.com/EE2ADONV.HTM
  
• The Huntsville Philatelic Club http://www.stampclubs.com/huntsville/ will issue a cacheted cover with a pictorial cancel in conjunction with HUNTSPEX 2005 on June 4-5. The cancel will note the 30th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) of 15 July 1975. To obtain one of the covers send $1.50 and a large SASE to: Huntsville Philatelic Club, Box 4395, Huntsville, AL 35815-4395.
  
• UKRAINE issued a set of four 45-kopeck stamps on April 4th to note "Space Exploration of Ukraine". http://www.ukrainian-philately.info/htmls/stmp2005/stmp0627.htm The stamps feature the carrier rocket Dnepr, satellite Kosmos-1, carrier rocket Zenit-2, and carrier rocket Cyclone 3. The stamps were designed by Vasyl Vasylenko; offset in sheets of 12; 200,000 sets were printed.
  
• The May 2005 issue of Lollini's REVUE DE L'ESPACE contains 20 pages of photos of the latest space stamps and covers issued to note the ISS, Space Shuttle, ESA, Deep Impact, Taikonauts, cosmonaut autographs, Ariane and many other space topics. There are hundreds of illustrations in this issue - all in full color. To obtain a FREE copy on a regular basis go to: www.espacelollini.com or e-mail katy2@espacelollini.com and leave your name and address. This issue and back issues of the monthly review are available in PDF format from their website. The latest edition of their catalog of space covers is now available (8th Edition Bis). This is a must for all serious space cover collectors.

• On the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the planet Pluto by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh (1930), the USPS approved a pictorial cancellation featuring Tombaugh that was used in Las Cruses, NM. The Mesilla Valley Stamp Club prepared a cover for this occasion with a cachet featuring an astrolabe. The covers are $1.50 each from the MVSC, P.O. Box 546, Mesilla, NM 99046. They also have other space covers available.
  
• The Titusville-Moonport Stamp Club will issue a cover for the STS-114 launch (Discovery/OV-103). The cover features the crew patch and is available for $1.50 from: Titusville-Moonport Stamp Club, Box 6071, Titusville, FL 32782. An SASE is required. They will prepare covers for rollover, rollout, launch, docking and landing, and double cancels for launch and landing. Ask for their pricelist. Contact them at: http://www.spacephilatelics.com/tmsc.html A list of other cover servicers is available by going to: http://www.bizubcomm.com/LibertyBell/Shuttle.htm
  
• The 4 cent Project Mercury stamp (Scott 1193) featuring John's Glenn's Friendship 7 space capsule was placed on sale in 305 US cities on 20 Feb 1962 without prior notification. A complete set of the 305 first day covers is not known to exist.
  FDC's from a few of the cities may not exist at all. There are 26 elusive FD cancels: Little Rock, AR; McClellan AFB, CA; Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee, FL; Bloomington, Melrose Park and Skokie, IL; Lowell, MA; Jacksom, MI; Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Fairview and West New York, NJ; Freeport, New Rochelle and Pleasantville, NY; Durham and Winston-Salem, NC; Mansfield and Marion, OH; Lawton, OK; Hanover, Sharon and Warren, PA; Kingsport, TN; and Abilene, TX. If you have any of these Mercury FDC's, contact: Henry B. Scheuer, Box 535, Madison Square Station, New York, NY 10159-0535.
  
• Space Unit members Bruce Cranford, Angelo Taiani and Paul Bulver have compiled a listing of NASA Official KSC Cachets. The listing contains 40 colorful illustrations. It can be accessed at the this website. If you have additional information for this listing, please contact Bruce Cranford at: bruce.cranford@comcast.net
  
• The May-June issue of the Astrophile, official journal of the Space Unit, contains many articles of interest to space philatelists. The lead article "Recalling Space Explorers at Arlington" by John McGauley, recounts his recent trip to Arlington National Cemetery and the Advar-Haze Center of the NASM, Washington, DC. There are also articles on: the US Mt. Palomar stamp of 1948, Vanguard-related stamps, "Secret" satellites, early space shuttle covers, Cuba's Cosmonauts Day stamps, LM - Our First Moon Ship, China's Recoverable Satellites, Space Unit meetings and many other regular features in this 48-page "Journal of Astrophilately." Contact the Space Unit at their website for a sample copy of the Astrophile and a membership application.
  
• The 50th Anniversary of Baikonur Cosmodrome was noted by Russia with the issuance of four stamps on 1 Dec 2004 designed by I. Komarov. The set features the R-7 missile and Proton - Soyuz & Zenit boosters. A special FD cancel was applied to FD covers. For more information go to: http://home.nestor.minsk.by/fsunews/russia/2004/ru1220-3.html

• Space Philately Contest #1:
  What was the face value of the stamp shown here, when & why was it issued, and who was the designer?
  The first space cover collector to contact me offline at my e-mail address with the correct answers will receive the Apollo/Soyuz folder shown here cancelled on the FD of the US ASTP stamps 15 July 2005. You do not have to be a member of the Space Unit to win.
  
• Space Unit Mini Auction #83
  The latest mini space cover auction of the ATA/APS Space Unit (Space Topic Study Group) includes 1390 lots. They include Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, ASTP, Space Shuttle and hundreds of space covers for unmanned events: Explorer, Discoverer, Mariner, Minuteman, Polaris, Viking, as well as X-15, FDC's, Russian, Japanese, autographs, and many other space covers. This auction is open to all collectors and closes 31 July 2005. To obtain a free copy of the auction catalog write to: Tom Steiner, P.O. Box 550, Northville, MI 48167-0550 or contact Tom at his e-mail address: tom.steiner1@juno.com or contact the Space Unit at their website. It pays to belong!
  

posted 05-20-2005 10:42 AM               

Good idea and good use of collectSPACE. The "Stamps and Covers" category has been underused and not used like it could be for too long.

posted 05-26-2005 02:49 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Astro Bill:

The latest issue of the Astrophile has been received and an illustrated list of all known NASA official cachets has been compiled and released. See "Capsule Comments" list above.

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That'll be something to look forward to! Back in the "old days," when so many space collectors collected space covers, Official NASA/KSC rubber stamp Cacheted covers (KSC/ONCs) were very popular and in demand. But the newer crowd (those that began entering our hobby in the early '90's when space collecting became "cool" and prices and interest rose) know little about KSC/ONCs, KSC/VIP cards, Beck PRS covers, etc. Too bad that one of the veteran collectors hasn't featured KSC/ONCs, KSC/VIP cards, etc., on a Website so there will be a place for newer and possibly interested collectors might go to see what used to be so interesting & popular with space collectors - might even cause some to get involved with them.

BTW, I have one of the old KSC Philatelic History hand books done so well by Ralph Yorio back in 1971. It illustrates all the KSC/ONCs and gives info & the number done. It's really useful for collectors of such, but I'd think that nothing like that is available today. The next Astrophile issue may fill that void, though.

posted 05-27-2005 07:48 AM               

I like the references to current cover servicing (Like the Pluto discovery 75th anniversary for Clyde Tombaugh),

Thank you!

Woody