posted 07-28-2013 07:05 AM               

Space Cover 224: ASSESS-2 Spacelab Simulation

The covers shown above commemorates the ASSESS-2 (Airborne Science/Spacelab Experiment System Simulation) which ran between May 16-25, 1977 at Ames Research Center.

Karl Henize participated in the nine ASSESS-2 experiment six-hour flights aboard the Galileo-2 Convair-990. ASSESS-2 tested techniques and modes of operation which were applied to Spacelab missions.

posted 07-28-2013 11:30 AM               

ASSESS 1 was the first in the flown series with the NASA Ames Research Center based Convair 990 research aircraft in June 1975.

The second ASSESS scientific experiments flight, in May 1977, wasn't piloted by Dr. Karl Henize, a NASA scientist astronaut, but rather he served as a mission specialist astronaut aboard the research flight along with payload specialists David Billiu, Robert Menzies, Claude Nicollier of Switzerland, and Michael Taylor of England.

Both Bob McLeod and myself do have a number of different ASSESS and other Galileo flight-related covers in our own collections from 1975-77.

Many of them are signed by participating personnel along with even a few that were actually carried aboard the CV-990 aircraft, also known as "the flying lab," during those years.

posted 07-28-2013 02:40 PM               

Just curious to know what was traded for one of his flown ASSESS covers while attending a Space Unit meeting in Houston more than 20 years ago? Did Henize also have anything else with him for trade or purchase?

I've got a few carried/flown covers by Henize in my own collection. My earliest of him, in Dec. 1971, was when he documented a flown T-38 cover while flying on a NASA astronaut training flight in support of an Apollo role.

Let me also add, going back to ASSESS for a moment, that NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA, did provide a nice rubber stamp cachet commemorating the ASSESS 2 flight in 1977.

posted 07-29-2013 03:57 PM               

I only have one CV-990 flown cover and it's not ASSESS-related. It was flown by T.C. Haughney on July 16, 1976 from Thule, Greenland to Fairbanks, Alaska, with a faint Fairbanks, AK machine cancel.

posted 07-29-2013 05:24 PM               

No big deal, but I am thinking the small blue box-shaped rubber stamp was an official cachet from NASA's Ames Research Center. But of course, the Moffett Field facility also had in circulation the larger ASSESS-2 black rubber stamp as well.

Maybe the smaller blue stamp impression was for usage of their CV-990 research aircraft for other airborne "flying lab" missions, or perhaps was mainly for internal uses by their CV-990 projects office there.

Might be a good study to put together an illustration of other various "official" rubber stamp cachets that had been issued or produced from this and other NASA space center installations across the country.

For sure, there were many others that came out of Ames, Huntsville's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and of course NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

But not known to most astrophilatelists was a short-lived "official" NASA rubber stamp cachet that only a handful of collectors got in their mailboxes.

No, it's not the infamous Helios cachet that was applied to launch-day covers in Dec. 1974, or even the earlier Apollo 1 (AS-204) rubber stamp impression in 1967.

You would have to go back to Oct. 1970 at the Kennedy Space Center! Can anyone identify it?

Keep in mind, though, it was never officially released or mentioned in a news or philatelic release or publication--but--it was in fact applied on a few collectors' self-stamped addressed envelopes that were on hold for the event, which was in fact, publicized beforehand on base at Kennedy.

How many covers are known to receive the unusual rubber stamp cachet (RSC) from KSC's Mail and Distribution Services?

posted 07-29-2013 07:06 PM               

He had attended a benefit dinner as a SMEAT crewman along with Bob Crippen and Karol Bobko.

In addition, all the Skylab crewmen were being honored, with six of them present, by The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation along with Vance Brand representing the Skylab astronaut backup team.

My firm was one of the event sponsors, and I proud one at that, as an avid Skylab enthusiast and collector.

Anyway, Dr. Thornton was one of the crew members of the 7-day Spacelab Mission Development III simulation that was held at the Johnson Space Center in May 1977.

I've got a few SMD-III simulation covers myself from Houston and with a couple of them signed by the SMD-III crew of Thornton, Dr. Carter Alexander of JSC, and Dr. Bill Williams of ARC.

A highlight cover from SMD-III is a carried cover of mine located inside the Spacelab research module that had been stored at "Spacelab Rack 02" from May 17-23, 1977.

It had been originally signed by Carter Alexander, the "cover carrier" for me while he was aboard the week-long simulation test, and his co-payload specialist Bill Williams.

posted 07-29-2013 07:11 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
While the subject of autographs never came up during my conversation with Thornton, does anyone know of his whereabouts and signing habits?

---

posted 07-29-2013 07:26 PM               

But I am not too crazy about addressing anything in care to the astronaut office at JSC. While there is certainly no disrespect intended to any of the fine mail room clerks working there, I just don't prefer having a shipment forwarded to another address or party.

Believe it or not, I haven't actually requested an astronaut autograph in the mail anywhere for more than 25 years or so (honestly)!

But I was curious about Thornton since we rarely see him at the Kennedy Space Center or in Florida, period, that I know of.

posted 07-30-2013 09:31 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
A highlight cover from SMD-III is a carried cover of mine located inside the Spacelab research module that had been stored at "Spacelab Rack 02" from May 17-23, 1977.

---

posted 07-30-2013 10:05 AM               

The signed SMD-3 crew cover, I am sure, came from Rand/JSC Stamp Club in 1977. But I can't remember if the covers were already signed by the Spacelab simulation crew as mine, just like yours, were signed by Thornton in red ink and Alexander in blue. What do your notes in pencil indicate on the back of the signed completed crew cover?

posted 07-30-2013 12:18 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bob M:
Kind of surprising that neither Alexander or Williams flew on a Space Shuttle/Spacelab mission.

---

Ah, but Williams was chosen to be a prime PS for Mission 61D/Spacelab 4. Williams and Bob Phillips were to have been the PSs, and IIRC, Brand, Griggs, Fabian and Seddon were among the crew. The flight was canceled even before Challenger, with a launch date TBD.

posted 07-30-2013 02:06 PM               

Ken, since both of our event covers were signed the same way (Thornton with red ink, etc.), I probably sent both our covers to Williams and when they returned, gave you one.

posted 07-30-2013 03:11 PM               

A later release (84-036) gave Jan. 28, 1986 as its targeted launch date.

And indeed, Brand and Griggs were named as CDR and PLT in 85-005, dated January 29, 1985. By Sept. 19, 1985 (85-035) though, Brand and Griggs were reassigned, with the launch date under review.

Apparently it had never been given an STS number, since the eight canceled or postponed flights up to Challenger have been accounted for (Challenger was STS-33), and 61E was also known as STS-34.

posted 07-30-2013 09:28 PM               

Now that leads up to another topic; Your cachet cover for SMD-3 depicted above was produced by veteran space cover servicer and dealer, Stan Henderson, owner and operator of 3-Muscateers.

Stan had been quite active and was a good space cover producer throughout the mid/late 1970s, and I believe, into the early 80s as well.

During those early shuttle test and development years, Stan and I became friends, which enabled us to establish a space cover producing business relationship. It was an ideal unofficial partnership of sorts as he would take care of our cover needs "out West" while I will attend to space cover work here on the East Coast.

All the sudden, after many years of working together, I never did hear from Stan again!

He had completely dropped out of the scene, and to the best of my knowledge, nobody else knew nor heard from him again in any capacity.