posted 09-22-2019 07:17 AM               

Space Cover #533: Soyuz 6, 7, and 8 Kniga Covers

Nearly fifty years ago the Soviet Union, probably smarting from the (then) recent success of Apollo 11, attempted a subsequent space spectacular. They launched Soyuz 6 on October 11, 1969, Soyuz 7 a day later, and Soyuz 8 the next day after that. The intent was for Soyuz 7 and 8 to repeat the docking and crew transfer performed on Soyuz 4 and 5, while Soyuz 6 kept station nearby, filming the process. The three covers above are the Kniga-issued first day covers for the 10 kopeck stamps honoring the three crews (Sc 3655-3657). Each was postmarked in Moscow on October 22, 1969, has been signed by its respective crewmembers and carries the "Three Rockets in Orbit" cachet that Kniga used for several postal first days from 1967 – 1969.

So, what's a "Kniga cover"? I can't summarize any better than Jim Reichman in his excellent compact disk – "Philatelic Study Report 2007-1 Kniga First Day Covers with Space Symbolics":

Anyone collecting Russian first day covers (FDCs) will eventually see or acquire covers produced by the government sponsored organization Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, herein called just "Kniga". Most of Kniga's FDCs are distinctive because they are prepared on envelopes smaller and differently shaped then regular Russian FDCs. These covers are further distinctive because all (except the very earliest) include a first day (FD) icon unique to Kniga's FDCs. This FD icon bases its design on the Russian satellite Sputnik 3 and includes the words "First Day" in four different languages. These icons are found in either of two different versions: 1) either as a hand-stamped cachet or 2) printed as part of the FD envelope cachet.

And for the manned flights, the Soviet government had the crews autograph the Kniga covers. I'll leave more detail to the folks who are the true experts on Kniga covers and/or for you to order Mr Reichman's CD. His email address can be found on the Space Unit website.

The reality of the Soyuz 6/7/8 joint mission was that Soyuz 7 and 8 approached each other several times but never docked. Official releases from the USSR never mentioned them attempting to dock, only that they approached each other. And the official word on Soyuz 6 was that it performed welding experiments in space (which it did). Only later did it come out that failures in their rendezvous electronics prevented Soyuz 7 and 8 from approaching close enough to dock. All-in-all, a lot of work to launch three spacecraft in three days only to find that the rendezvous equipment had malfunctioned.

The crews, for the most part, went on to be a "Who's-Who" in subsequent flights:

• Soyuz 6 – Flight Engineer Valery Kubasov later flew on Soyuz 19 (ASTP), and Soyuz 36/35. Commander Georgi Shonin did not fly again.
  
  
• Soyuz 7 – Commander Anatoly Filipchenko commanded Soyuz 16, the dress rehearsal for ASTP. Flight Engineer Vladislov Volkov died in the tragic Soyuz 11 re-entry after leaving Salyut-1. Research Cosmonaut Victor Gorbatko went on to fly on Soyuz 24 and Soyuz 37/36.

• Soyuz 8 – The crew of Vladimir Shatalov and Alexei Yeliseyev had already performed the Soyuz 4/5 docking before flying Soyuz 8, and went on to attempt to dock with Salyut 1 on the Soyuz 10 mission.
  
  The Soyuz 7 crew autographed Kniga cover with Volkov's signature is probably the most trusted way to get an authentic Volkov autograph on cover since he died on re-entry of Soyuz 11.

While I was developing this article, fellow collector and Space Cover of the Week contributor Ray Cartier showed me some dynamite Tartu Club Covers for Soyuz 6/7/8. Maybe he can write those up with some words on "What's a Tartu cover?" too.