posted 10-22-2023 09:49 AM               

Space Cover 724: Echo

Above is a Goldcraft Cachet cover postmarked on August 12, 1960, at Port Canaveral for the launch into Earth orbit of Echo 1A (later just called Echo 1), a test to prove the ability for satellites to relay communications across large distances. Echo 1A was a large (98 ft diameter) balloon that inflated upon reaching orbit. Its aluminized Mylar skin allowed radio signals to be bounced off of it reaching over much longer distances. In fact, later that day, a signal was bounced off of Echo 1A between the Goldstone tracking station in California to Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey, proving that satellite communications could work!

Eddie Bizub's excellent Space Cover of the Week 659 on Telstar 1, the first active communications satellite, inspired me to write up its predecessor, the first passive communications satellite above. The actual Echo 1A satellite was preceded by several sounding rocket (Sergeant and Recruit motors) test firings from Wallops Island, known as "Shot Put" launches as follows:

• Shot Put 1 on October 27, 1959, the balloon burst, covers not known.
  
• Shot Put 2 on January 16, 1960, covers known.
  
• Shot Put 3 on February 27, 1960, covers known.
  
• Shot Put 4 on April 1, 1960, covers known.
  
• Shot Put 5 on May 31, 1960 (actually after the first Echo launch attempt), covers known.

The first attempt to put an Echo balloon into orbit failed on May 13, 1960 when the Thor-Delta launch vehicle's second stage had a malfunction. As seen above, a successful launch of an Echo balloon, Echo 1A, into orbit happened on August 12, 1960.

Echo 1A earned one of the USA's first space stamps, Sc #1173, on December 15, 1960. First day covers abound. And one well known cachet designer, Morris Beck, used this first day to design his first ever space cover!

Echo 1A proved the concept of satellite communications, however, as Eddie points out in his SCOTW 659, active comsats quickly surpassed the capabilities of the passive Echo. However, Echo development continued! Two more suborbital tests launched from Cape Canaveral, known as "Big Shot" tested an improved self-rigidizing balloon design as follows:

• Big Shot 1 on January 15, 1962, the balloon burst, covers are known.
  
• Big Shot 2 on September 18, 1962, successful, covers not known.

My Big Shot 1 cover, postmarked on January 15, 1962 at Port Canaveral with a Goldcraft Cachet is shown here:

These efforts culminated in Echo 2, a 135 ft diameter, self-rigidizing balloon launched into orbit from the Cape on January 25, 1964. By that time, active comsats were already in service, so Echo 2 just served as a scientific testbed. Both Echo 1A and Echo 2 deorbited in the late 1960's, having made successful initial demonstrations of the satellite communications that we take for granted today!

It is of interest that the Bell Labs ground station in Holmdel, New Jersey, built as part of the Echo Program, was also the facility that first detected cosmic microwave background radiation winning two Bell Labs scientists, Penzias and Wilson, the Nobel Prize.

Do any of you have other Echo/Shot Put/Big Shot covers? If so, please post them!

posted 10-22-2023 10:49 AM               

1959 October 28 - . 22:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Wallops Island. LV Family: Sergeant. Launch Vehicle: Shotput. E60 Echo spacecraft test - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Langley. Apogee: 400 km (240 mi).

posted 10-22-2023 12:56 PM               

I bought it about 18 months ago in a fierce three way bidding battle on eBay from a well known German vendor.

posted 10-22-2023 01:25 PM               

Here is the entry for that event:

posted 10-23-2023 08:11 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Ken Havekotte:
...it does bother me a bit that the Goldcraft cachet depicts a Bomarc cruise defense missile

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posted 10-23-2023 03:44 PM               

As per my records launch happened 22:40PM Oct 28 from Wallops Is, VA. If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me.

quote:

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Originally posted by cvrlvr99:
Big Shot 2 on September 18, 1962, successful, covers not known.

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quote:

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Originally posted by randyc:
I also tend not to collect covers that have P.M. cancels when the event occurred in the A.M. (and vice versa)...

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If launch and recovery happen in the same day, then I attend to AM/PM if this is the difference between launch and recovery, especially when no recover covers are known.

If launch and recovery happen in different days, then launch can be AM or PM because in any case refers to same date. Obviously, if it is possible AM if launch was in the morning and PM if launch was in the afternoon.

But, as you well said, sometimes no attend to AM/PM time slug is the only way to include a cover in the collection. Hopefully, more different covers and postmarks exist in order to do a best selection.

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Finally, I have seen a cover for Big Shot 5 postmarked Jun 1, 1960 (day after) from Wallops Is. It is in the hands of an Italian collector. It is a cover without image and only a text as reference.