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  Space Cover 126: More Viking Mars Covers

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 126: More Viking Mars Covers
Bob M
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Posts: 1744
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 09-11-2011 09:47 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 126 (September 11, 2011)
Space Cover #126: More Viking Mars Covers

To continue with what John did so well last week, I have presented six additional Viking Mars covers to display the quality and variety of the many covers done for the Viking missions.

To many of us who experienced the two unmanned Viking Mars landings, and resulting photos from the Martian surface, they rivaled the excitement and fascination of the Apollo 11 moonlanding.

Top Cover: Jet Propulsion Laboratory Stamp Club cacheted cover for the Viking 1 launch.

Bottom Cover: KSC Exchange cover double canceled for the Viking A/1 and B/2 launches.

Top Cover: A Viking 1 and 2 double canceled launch cover with a special Martin Marietta black rubber stamp cachet.

Bottom Cover: A double canceled cover for the Viking B/Titan-3E/Centaur rollout and Viking B launch. Ken Havekotte, of SpaceCoast Cover Service, produced this and many other covers for various Viking pre-launch tests and events, as well as post-landing covers.

Top Cover: A JPL Stamp Club cacheted cover commemorating the Viking 2 Mars landing, with "NASA's First Lander on Mars" slogan cancel.

Bottom Cover: An official Ames Research Center Stamp Club rubber stamp cacheted cover, double canceled for the Viking 1 Mars landing, and two years later, a First Day of Issue cancel applied for the "Viking Missions to Mars" commemorative stamp.

Ross
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Posts: 472
From: Australia
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 09-19-2011 11:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ross   Click Here to Email Ross     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Viking spacecraft like all of NASA's deep space probes are tracked by NASA's Deep Space Network consisting of three tracking stations spaced approximately 120 degrees apart. One of those is the Honeysuckle Creek/Tidbinbilla complex located just outside Canberra, Australia. Below is a cover from that station.


albatron
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Posts: 2732
From: Stuart, Florida
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 09-19-2011 11:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for albatron   Click Here to Email albatron     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
VERY nice stuff. Has anyone ever tried to get some of the principle people to sign them? Any suggestions?

Charlie16
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Posts: 494
From: Italy
Registered: Dec 2010

posted 09-19-2011 11:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Charlie16   Click Here to Email Charlie16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have this cover since years, anyone knows the signatures?

yeknom-ecaps
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Posts: 660
From: Northville MI USA
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 09-19-2011 01:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
James Martin and Calvin Broome were NASA Langley project managers for the Viking project. I don't know the third person.

Charlie16
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Posts: 494
From: Italy
Registered: Dec 2010

posted 09-19-2011 05:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Charlie16   Click Here to Email Charlie16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks!

Robert Pearlman
Editor

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

posted 09-19-2011 06:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The third signature seems to belong to Kermit S. Watkins, deputy manager, Viking Orbiter.

Charlie16
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Posts: 494
From: Italy
Registered: Dec 2010

posted 09-20-2011 03:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Charlie16   Click Here to Email Charlie16     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's nice to know there is always someone who has the answers to your questions.
Thanks Robert!

Bob M
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Posts: 1744
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 09-20-2011 03:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bob M   Click Here to Email Bob M     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by albatron:
VERY nice stuff. Has anyone ever tried to get some of the principle people to sign them? Any suggestions?

Personally, way back then I did acquire a fair number of autographs of the principle scientists and engineers involved in the two Viking missions. But with the Viking missions taking place over 35 years ago, I wonder how many of the individuals are still available and can be located for autographs?

I had one cover signed by 17 of the people involved, including Gentry Lee, Tobias Owen, Harold Masursky and Michael Carr. Also another cover signed by Thomas Mutch, who was the Viking Lander Imaging team leader, but sadly was killed in 1980 while on a climbing expedition in the Himalayas.

Possibly some research using Google would turn up a lot of names and locations.

LaurieS
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posted 08-30-2013 07:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LaurieS   Click Here to Email LaurieS     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Charlie16:
I have this cover since years, anyone knows the signatures?
My dad is Kermit Watkins. That is his signature no doubt. Just for your info, he will be 94 on Sept. 6th 2013. He still lives 2 miles from JPL. He is amazing.

micropooz
Member

Posts: 1512
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 08-31-2013 02:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for micropooz   Click Here to Email micropooz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Wow! And welcome to collectSPACE, Laurie!

Please tell us more about your Dad!!!

fredtrav
Member

Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010

posted 08-31-2013 06:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fredtrav   Click Here to Email fredtrav     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have various Viking covers signed by dozens of project managers, engineers, dir. launch vehicles, etc. Signatures includes James Martin, Viking Project Manager; Dr. Soffen, Viking Project chief scientist; head of the science team, at least four members of the imaging team, Wright and Sands, one signed by six at NASA HQ, one signed by eight from Langley, one by four from JPL.

Also have two covers carried on Viking A spacecraft first and last Turn Around Rollout convoy.

Apollo-Soyuz
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Posts: 1205
From: Shady Side, Md
Registered: Sep 2004

posted 09-01-2013 06:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Apollo-Soyuz   Click Here to Email Apollo-Soyuz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fred, can you post scans of some of your autographed Viking covers?

fredtrav
Member

Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010

posted 09-01-2013 01:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fredtrav   Click Here to Email fredtrav     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I will try. I have never posted a picture before so here is my first attempt.

The signers are Henry Norris Viking Orbiter Manager, Kermit Watkins Viking Orbiter Dep, Mgr, Al Wolfe Viking Orbiter Spacecraft Mgr, and Conway Snyder Viking Orbiter scientist,

Antoni RIGO
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Posts: 176
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 09-02-2013 01:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Antoni RIGO   Click Here to Email Antoni RIGO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Another Viking signed cover.

The signature of Dr. Klaus Biemann, from MIT, is not very common.

Apollo-Soyuz
Member

Posts: 1205
From: Shady Side, Md
Registered: Sep 2004

posted 09-02-2013 10:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Apollo-Soyuz   Click Here to Email Apollo-Soyuz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fred sent me some more scans of Viking autographs.

Antoni RIGO
Member

Posts: 176
From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN
Registered: Aug 2013

posted 09-03-2013 04:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Antoni RIGO   Click Here to Email Antoni RIGO     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fortunately for astrophilatelists many managers, directors, scientists, technicians and other personal involved on the Viking program were willing to sign on remembering key dates of this amazing space program.

Here is shown a cover signed by Vincent G. Redmond, Viking Program Manager for ERDA (shame on lacks the cachet).

ERDA stands for Energy Research and Development Administration, based in Langley, responsible for the two 35-watt radioisotope thermoelectric generators called SNAP-19, located atop of the Viking lander and connected in series to double their voltage and reduce power loss.

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