posted 04-10-2015 05:13 PM               

Space Cover 311: International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)

This week's cover commemorates the launching of the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) on January 26, 1978 aboard Delta launch vehicle #138.

IUE was a collaborative project between NASA, the United Kingdom's Science Research council (SERC) and the European Space Agency. SERC provided the vidicon cameras for the spectrograph as well as the ground observing facility in Villafranca del Castillo in Spain. NASA contributed the telescope, spectrograph and spacecraft as well as the launching facilities and a second ground observatory at Goddard Space Flight Center.

IUE was the first space observatory to be operated in real time by astronomers. IUE had a design lifetime of a minimum of three years but lasted 18 years before being turned off on September 30, 1996.

The Goddard Space Flight Center Stamp Club serviced 500 covers for the launch. Covers sold out.

posted 04-17-2015 04:13 PM               

In fact, IUE satellite was the first major satellite tracked at this station.

Located around 30 kilometers west (approximately 18 miles) from Madrid capital Villafranca del Castillo, also known as VILSPA (VILlafranca SPAin), served in IUE spacecraft control and science operations with a distribution of 16 hours in NASA GSFC and 8 hours in ESA Villafranca.

The cover, postmarked in Madrid capital for launch day, bears an official rubber stamp cachet of Villafranca space station.