posted 08-03-2013 01:33 PM               

Space Cover 225: "Chasing" the Space Shuttle

Those watching the Space Shuttle orbiters returning to earth on TV, would often notice small aircraft escorting them to safe touchdowns. These "escort" aircraft were NASA T-38 Talons, normally piloted by NASA Astronauts, and were called chase aircraft. During orbiter descents beginning at 40,000 feet, at least one T-38 chase plane visually checked the orbiter, while other chase aircraft provided live TV and photographic coverage of the approach and landings.

For this week's Space Cover of the Week feature, I've presented six covers that were canceled for each of the Space Shuttle's first five landings: STS-1 through STS-5. And each cover was autographed by T-38 chase pilots and back-seaters.

At the top are covers for STS-1's landing at Edwards AFB, CA, and also STS-2's landing there. The STS-1 cover was nicely autographed by nine T-38 chase pilots and back-seaters, including non-astronaut cameraman Dick Gray, who provided the TV images of the first landing of Columbia. The STS-2 cover is autographed by five astronaut chase pilots.

The STS-3 cover, canceled at White Sands Missle Range, NM, for the first and only Space Shuttle orbiter landing there, is autographed by the pilots of Chase 1, 2, 3 and 4, including non-astronaut Charlie Justiz. The STS-4 cover is autographed by two astronaut chase pilots, plus Justiz piloting the TV chase aircraft, and back-deater Pete Stanley providing TV coverage.

A second STS-4 cover is autographed by many of the STS-1 through STS-4 landing photographers. Finally, the STS-5 cover is nicely autographed by both Charlie Justiz, Chase 1 pilot, and Pete Stanley, Chase 1 cameraman.

An earlier discussion about Space Shuttle chase pilots can be found here.

posted 08-04-2013 06:55 AM               

Don't forget your flown/carried covers by support photographers that were assigned to the "Chase" ALT/Enterprise free flight series back in 1977.

posted 08-04-2013 09:31 AM               

In addition to the autographs of 15 astronaut chase pilots on these covers, at least two other signers are of special note.

NASA photographer Terry Slezak is famous for being the first person to (accidently) touch moondust with his bare hands, and also for a more infamous use of some of it.

Charlie Justiz, a name and autograph probably missing from most of our collections, deserves special mention. He is a first generation Cuban-American, who joined NASA in 1980 and, among many accomplishments, piloted more than 10,000 parabolas in the KC-135 ("Vomit-Comet"), plus flew more than 15,000 simulated orbiter approaches in the STA, and "chased" 13 orbiters to safe landings. Besides being a professor, he's also an author. Unfortunately, he failed in his attempts to become a NASA Astronaut, but surely would have been a fine one. I'm proud to have his autograph in my collection.

And Ken, yes, for some time I did try to get covers signed for each flight by the Capcoms, as John Macco also did. But after good results up until about STS-39, I ended that project. But for some time, probably about 4-5 Capcoms signed covers for each flight, with three flights having eight Capcoms autographing. To sum it up, there were 155 autographs by 52 different astronaut Capcoms on covers for 35 flights. This was just one part of a fun and rewarding time for us bothersome collectors.