posted 10-16-2021 09:58 AM               

Space Cover #626: Zaragoza TAL site

On September 30, 1992, the American base of Zaragoza closed its doors, in which NASA maintained a hangar for its functions of controlling the emergency runway of the space missions of the shuttles.

In spite of closure of the American base, Zaragoza Trans-Atlantic Landing site (TAL site) was operative until the last shuttle mission in 2011.

At this time, Zaragoza was the longest runway in Europe (4 km or 2,48 miles). As the rest of TAL’s sites worldwide, fortunately it was never used for emergency purposes as all shuttles landed in Edwards or Kennedy or White Sands (just for STS-3).

For each shuttle mission with launch trajectory over Zaragoza city, NASA sent a team of 60 people who together around 40 member of Spanish Army performed a pre-launch simulation and were prepared at all times before any complications after launch.

A very few philatelic covers were created to commemorate the activation of Zaragoza as TAL site, all of them bear the same rubber stamp cachet (in red or blue ink) with identical Zaragoza postmark. The STS number was added manually for each cover. It is supposed than less of 50 exemplars exist for each mission.

Below, the other three covers known by this collector.

If any collector has different Zaragoza TAL covers, in dates or illustrations, please be so kind to share images with others. Thanks.

posted 10-17-2021 09:44 AM               

I already knew the existence of STS covers with US cancel for Zaragoza TAL site, but unfortunately I do not have any. If anyone has some, I will be pleased to buy them.

Rota, Spain will be the subject for a future SCOTW post. This time, I will enclose US FPO NY 09540 covers and information about different Rota postmarks.

posted 10-17-2021 08:09 PM               

How about the Moron Air Base in Spain, which was another early shuttle TAL site, located about 75 miles northeast of the Naval Station at Rota?