Space Cover 302: Gemini 2 at 50 - collectSPACE: Messages

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Space Cover 302: Gemini 2 at 50

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Author	Topic: Space Cover 302: Gemini 2 at 50
micropooz Member Posts: 1582 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003	posted 02-01-2015 05:38 AM Space Cover of the Week, Week 302 (February 1, 2015) Space Cover #302: Gemini 2 at 50 Fifty years and a few days ago, Project Gemini passed its second and final unmanned test, paving the way for manned missions. Gemini 2 was launched on January 19, 1965 on a 92 mile high, 1848 mile long suborbital flight to test its heat shield. The capsule was recovered by the USS Lake Champlain, and an unnumbered Beck cachet postmarked on the prime recovery ship is shown above. One of the lesser-known facts about Gemini 2 is that the command module was re-used for the unmanned Gemini-MOL test flight on November 3, 1966. So, what's so special about an "unnumbered Beck"? Recall that Morris Beck designed the rubber stamp cachets for the recovery ships for each mission from MA-8 on through ASTP (known colloquially as "Navy Cachets"). He also designed and serviced printed cachets, and each of these cachet designs has a number in the format "B___" at the bottom. In addition, Beck sent along 25 of his printed cachets, without B-numbers and without stamps to each recovery ship for the crew to use at their discretion (hence, "unnumbered Beck"). This is one of the 25 for the Lake Champlain for Gemini 2. Ross Smith, a guest contributor to Space Cover of the Week (SCOTW) did a much more comprehensive entry on Beck Cachets in SCOTW #153. Additional information and images of Beck Cachets can be found on Ross' recovery ship cover website and on Owen Murray's Beck Cachet website. Anyone else have any favorite Gemini 2 covers? Let's post them! I can host your cover image if you need, just email me the image.
stevedd841 Member Posts: 298 From: Millersville, Maryland Registered: Jul 2004	posted 02-02-2015 03:19 PM Happy 50th Anniversary, Gemini 2! The cover I chose to show in response to Dennis' request, is a difficult to find machine cancelled crew cover for the USS Lake Champlain's recovery of the Gemini 2 spacecraft, January 19, 1965, after its unmanned test flight in the Atlantic operations area. The cover on ship's stationery has a printed red Beck cachet over the envelope cachet, showing the USS Lake Champlain at sea. The cover was mailed by ship's officer, Ensign David P. Sorenson, to his family in South Dakota and is cancelled on the Gemini 2 recovery date.
randyc Member Posts: 802 From: Denver, CO USA Registered: May 2003	posted 02-02-2015 06:28 PM I've found USS Lake Champlain covers cancelled on January 19, 1965 with both A.M. and P.M. in the CDS as well as red and purple Beck rubber stamp cachets. The actual time of splashdown and recovery was before noon at the recovery area so the cancellation with A.M. is the 'correct' one, though collectors also accept the cancellation with P.M. in the CDS as well. From all of the Gemini 2 USS Champlain covers that I've seen over the years most of the covers with the A.M. cancel have the red Beck RSC while the ones with the P.M. cancel have the purple RSC.
Ross Member Posts: 496 From: Australia Registered: Jul 2003	posted 02-03-2015 07:27 AM There are four different cachet colours for the USS Lake Champlain, Purple, Black, Red and Maroon with the Red and Maroon appearing to be quite different colours. So far the AM postmark only appears with a Hand Cancel and only with a red (maybe also maroon - I'll be getting one soon which I won on eBay) cachet. It's also interesting that the machine cancel appears most often (maybe only) with red cachets. A note with such a cover stated 'The only ones like it were those that we mailed out from the ship today. This cancel was not used on collectors covers'. A Black Cachet A couple of different cachets And finally an unusual Beck test cover
Antoni RIGO Member Posts: 220 From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN Registered: Aug 2013	posted 02-04-2015 03:48 PM Gemini 2, one of my favorite space missions, and USS Lake Champlain covers for this mission, maybe the most interesting space recovery covers. USS Lake Champlain was too the PRS for the Gemini 5 mission. Covers signed by Captain James Longino Jr. was already known for Gemini 5 but rarely seen signed by Captain in this previous mission. This signed cover open doubt about if it was signed after mission and consequently, if Captain Longino was really onboard in Gemini 2. Fortunately, the collector kept inside the cover the front of envelope in which he received this cover signed and we can see in postmark as date is previous to mission Gemini 5.
cvrlvr99 Member Posts: 170 From: Arlington, TX Registered: Aug 2014	posted 02-05-2015 04:26 PM Steve - The GT2 with the Machine Cancel on ship stationery is a beaut. My MC is on a #10 with a Red Cachet as well.
Antoni RIGO Member Posts: 220 From: Palma de Mallorca, Is. Baleares - SPAIN Registered: Aug 2013	posted 02-07-2015 10:19 AM Ray, maybe the crew cover you quoted is like this or very similar.
bobslittlebro Member Posts: 211 From: Douglasville, Ga U.S.A. Registered: Nov 2009	posted 02-08-2015 12:42 PM Steve, your GT-2 recovery cover with the ship's stationary is superb. Was this a stamp show "junk box" find? You can find the best covers in dealers "junk box."
stevedd841 Member Posts: 298 From: Millersville, Maryland Registered: Jul 2004	posted 02-08-2015 01:08 PM Tim, the red Beck cachet superimposed over USS Lake Champlain stationery cover for the Gemini 2 recovery was not found in a dollar box but was a win in Seymour Rodman's "Astro Postal History Auction" a mail order space cover auction held once a year in Chatham, New Jersey a long time ago. This particular cover did not xerox well in Seymour's auction catalog and the red Beck cachet superimposed over the ship looked like a big black blob after xeroxing in his catalog. The cover did not sell for much luckily for me. Yes, I also dive into dumpsters and yes, it is a bit whacky but agree it is very worthwhile. Many thanks to Dennis for posting this Gemini 2 request to see other covers from our cover collections and to Ray Toni, and Tim for their comments.

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