posted 07-03-2016 02:34 AM               

Space Cover 375: First space shuttle crews named

It is not yet in the Astrophilately rules but in the space history those space crews are named with enough time in advance to allow them to prepare for the space missions through training, tests, simulations and any other useful procedures for the space flights.

I am quite curious to know if anyone has lists with dates in which astronauts/cosmonauts were named and dates in which they really flown to space. I suspect that these lists are only a huge compilation of data and data but maybe, in summary, can give us an accurate idea of how long is the pre-launch time for candidates to astronauts.

The cover shown above presents the astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen when they were named prime crew for the first space shuttle mission. The cover was cancelled in Houston on March 16, 1978 and the space flights were scheduled to begin in early 1979. However, the first launch occurred on April 12, 1981 (three years and 27 days after your nomination), when the STS-1 was launched.

But on March 16, 1978 not only the first prime crew for space shuttle mission was announced, also its back-up crew and another complete space crew, i.e. prime and back-up.

In the top cover the astronauts Young and Crippen are pictured as prime crew for shuttle mission (STS-1 April 12, 1981) as well as Engle and Truly as back-up crew (STS-2 Nov 12, 1981).

In the second cover the astronauts Brand and Fullerton is prime crew and Lousma and Haise is back-up crew. However, were Lousma and Fullerton who flew first (STS-3 March 22, 1982) and Mattingly and Hartsfield (both not pictured) who flew in last of four space shuttle orbital mission (STS-4 Jun 27, 1982).

Veteran astronaut Vance Brand was moved to become the commander of first operational shuttle mission (STS-5 Nov. 11, 1982) with Overmeyer, Allen and Lenoir as rest of crew.

Finally Fred Haise (Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 13 mission) never flew onboard the space shuttle as he left NASA in June 1979 to become an executive in Grumman Aerospace Corp. until his retirement.

posted 07-03-2016 12:36 PM               

• Gemini 3, postmarked Houston, 4/13/64 and,
  
• ASTP, postmarked Houston, 1/30/73.

posted 07-03-2016 04:35 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by NAAmodel#240:
Since the announcement was made at the Manned Space Flight Center, the Houston cancel is appropriate.

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quote:

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I imagine before there was a MSFC the postmark would have read Washington, DC.

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posted 07-04-2016 02:47 PM               

In fact, in my first sentence "It is not yet in the Astrophilately rules" is hidden a real message of I hope it will be in the future.

I think that Astrophilately should be a real space history developed through space covers postmarked in exact date and near place.

The golden rule for Astrophilately should not change: covers postmarked in exact date and near place, but not only for launching, docking, undocking and return but also for test, probes, simulations, etc.

Opening Astrophilately to all kind of space events should not be a problem but an opportunity to attract more collectors, or maybe new collectors.

Sorry for this explanation not really linked to the title of the post.