posted 05-10-2009 04:24 PM               

Space Cover #4, Apollo Soyuz Test Project Launches

This week's Space Cover of the Week features a very special Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) cover that was dual cancelled, first in Moscow for the Soyuz launch and then at Cape Canaveral for the Apollo launch. Having covers cancelled for both launches taking place on the same day (7 1/2 hours apart) and thousands of miles apart, posed a great challenge but space dealer Eberhard Coelle, through much planning and assistance was able to succeed. The results was 3000 covers like the one shown above and another 3000 covers also cancelled in Moscow for the Soyuz launch and then cancelled in Houston for the historic linkup on July 17. It should be of interest and noted that both cancels are dated July 15, 1975; the cover is cacheted with the official ASTP Program insignia and that both the Soviet ASTP stamp (designed from a painting by Alexei Leonov) and the US ASTP stamp, both show similiar depictions of the two spacecraft docking.

A Word document file detailing the step by step process and history of how these covers were created will be emailed to anyone interested.

posted 05-11-2009 02:30 PM               

• the American postmarker is from Cape Canaveral. The Apollo spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Center (located on Merritt Island, not Cape Canaveral).

• the Russian postmarker is from Moscow. The Soyuz rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome (and postmarkers exist from this location).

posted 05-11-2009 02:52 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by eurospace:
In other words: I feel this cover misses its target on both accounts, doesn't it?

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Allowances had to be made and certainly getting 6,000 covers canceled and then on an international flight starting at Baikonur, unlike Moscow, would have been, at best, too time consuming.

And collector access to the Kennedy Space Center post office back then wasn't easy, unlike the much more convenient and collector-friendly Cape Canaveral post office.

posted 05-11-2009 07:37 PM               

Bob makes great points as well about the logistics of such a process and access to the post offices themselves to get the cancels.

posted 05-11-2009 09:43 PM               

In speaking of nearest postal facilities to the launch site itself (Launch Complex 39) for all the shuttles; #1 would be, of course, KSC itself that I am sure all space cover collectors would agree on; #2 in terms of distance would be Cape Canaveral; #3 is Merritt Island; and the last location--the farthest away from the space center--would be Patrick AFB.

While the shuttles are launched from Kennedy Space Center, geographically located on northern Merritt Island, launch support activities are conducted from the Cape, Patrick, and Merritt Island (actually a part of the space center grounds for tracking support).

I've always been concerned by the fact that most philatelic judges at major stamp-cover exhibitions with astrophilatelic material only seem to recognize KSC as the "official" appropriate launch postal site for Apollo and shuttle liftoffs.

Sometimes the Cape/CC would be included, but in retrospect, all four of the listed Space Coast area locations would qualify, in my opinion, for various launch-site postal documentation acceptances.

Granted, KSC is the closest--but in regards to the combo/ASTP cover referred to in this topic, the Cape would be a primary location if KSC wasn't practical as Bob pointed out.

Remember--On the Cape air force station during the Apollo-Soyuz launch in 1975, there were a number of launch-related opertaions in progress from there.

The most crucial in my mind would be from the Cape's Range Control Center. Range safety officers from here carefully track, measure, and compute systems that are tracking a launch vehicle throughout powered flight. This is an important function that is performed on the Cape-side and not from the Launch Control Center of Complex 39.

posted 05-12-2009 03:25 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob M:
Sure, Baikonur/KSC cancels would have been ideal, but probably close to impossible or much more trouble than it would have been worth.

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posted 05-14-2009 07:53 AM               

But being a dealer and doing these covers to sell, and in such huge numbers, did indicate that he hoped to sell a large number and possibly philatelic niceties and
correctness wasn't a primary concern of his.

posted 07-15-2012 03:56 PM               

This document (PDF) explains how the covers were created.

posted 03-11-2016 09:34 AM               

The issue of the dual-cancellations for ASTP covers is well known, but was rather confusing (not only for me, at least I've seen the questions on the other astrophilately forums). Frankly, till last evening, when I've read John's doc on Coelle's adventure, I was thinking that one of the cancellations is backdated. It is really cool story!

I believe this is the second Coelle's cover for linkup at July 17.

Now come my points:

1. There is another variation of dual-cancellation in my collection, with KSC and Baikonur posmarks (probably more philatelistically correct — this is to Bob's point). Is it the same Coelle's 6000pcs batch? I believe this is "moscow" Baikonur cancellation. Also it differs a bit from the other Baikonur, note the numbers for date (I attach another cover, just to compare). Actually you can see two types of fonts in Baikonur ASTP postmarks, but the placement of the numbers still differs from "moscow" cancellation. There are other minor differences as well.
   

   

2. Different combinations of US-USSR cancellations exist, this is another example from my inventory. I believe it is not the same Coelle's package and we are talking about another diligent dealer. Done nicely, though under much less pressure.
   

posted 03-11-2016 02:35 PM               

I also acquired one of the Coelle Soyuz/Apollo dual canceled covers (for $8.40 directly from Coelle) and mine differs somewhat from John's, as it doesn't have the additional rubber stamp info impressions applied above and below the ASTP cachet.

I decided to try to have mine autographed by the crew and was successful in having Brand and Slayton sign it not too long after the flight. Gen. Stafford's autograph had to wait until I was confident that I would get an authentic autograph from him. After becoming confident, off it went to Stafford in October 1988 and it returned signed in January 1989.

However, Stafford scrunched his autograph between Brand's autograph and the cachet and mostly through the dark part of the ASTP emblem cachet, resulting in a less-than-ideal crew signed cover. Had he applied it at the top of the cachet where there was plenty of room, it would have been a superb ASTP crew signed cover.

posted 03-11-2016 03:03 PM               

Both cancels for Jul 15, 1975 and only one rubber stamp info on top of the cover.