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Author
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Topic: Custom space mission trading cards project
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RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-03-2018 01:27 PM
   
I'm a huge sports fan and I collect a lot of sports memorabilia along with my space related interests and hobbies. A few years back, I decided I wanted to learn to use Photoshop and in doing so joined the hobby of creating custom sports cards.I was thinking it might be a fun project to do a space themed card set... something similar to what Topps did in the early 1960s and what Space Shots did in the early 1990s. I recently have been working on a custom football card set and I really like the design I created for it. I think the design could easily be adapted for a space theme which a little retooling. My thought was to create a set based on that design but I have a couple questions for the members here. There is a spot on the front for a logo. I was thinking a manned mission set with in chronological order but many of the early missions didn't have patches/logos. What do you think I should use for the Russian flights and early U.S. flights that didn't have patches? When did Russian missions begin having "official" patches? I understand that Gemini V was the first US flight with an official patch. Any thoughts? This would likely just be a digital art project. I don't enjoy producing the cards as my production process is labor intensive. |
Philip
Member Posts: 6259
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-04-2018 03:19 AM
There are logos for each Soviet-Russian mission but I guess that Valentina Tereshkova was the first to wear the pigeon patch during her June 1963 Vostok 6 "Chayka" mission... Who can chime in? |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-04-2018 08:10 AM
I thought most of those early logos were created well after the fact. Is that not the case? |
Philip
Member Posts: 6259
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-04-2018 08:44 AM
Probably but Tereshkova did wear the "Peace Pigeon" patch on her coverall underneath the SK-1 spacesuit. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 52423
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-04-2018 10:20 AM
Tereshkova's patch, which you can read about here and discussed here, features a dove, not a pigeon. There is also a discussion of early Soviet space patches here. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-04-2018 01:48 PM
Here are a couple mock ups for the front side of a pair of cards. I did one USSR and one USA design initially to get my templates in order and see if I like the colors. For the Vostok 1 card, I used the Soviet State Emblem instead of a mission patch because as far as I know, no logo existed for the mission. What do you think?  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-04-2018 09:19 PM
OK, I finished a mockup of both the front and the back of the two cards.I wanted to see what you guys thought. Any suggestions before I start really working on them? Also, any suggestions about a source for good photos from early USSR missions. They don't have to be launch photos... but I would prefer to find a photo from each mission if possible.  |
oly
Member Posts: 1473
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 11-05-2018 01:43 AM
I think your work so far is great.I am curious how you go about image rights and IP rights for each image, mission logo and crew name? Also, I would have thought that by the time you consider these costs on top of production and packaging there would need to be a large quantity run to break even for what would be a niche market. Can't wait to see more. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-05-2018 08:19 AM
So, this is not a commercial venture. As I said in my original post, this is simply a digital art project. I enjoy using Photoshop and creating imagery using the software. Some of my sports card designs have been big hits on various card websites so I thought I would combine my love of spaceflight with this hobby of mine. I have no intention of producing any physical copies and none of my designs are for sale. It's just for fun.As I understand it, NASA images are free to be used for non-commercialized purposes. All the information on the card is public record stuff so I believe I'm OK to do what I am doing. At least that's my limited understanding. If I am in error, please let me know. I'd rather not have the organization I dream of working for send lawyers after me. Honestly, part of my hopes that someone might find them online and use them as educational material for kids. Due to the limited space on a standard sized trading card (3.5 x 2.5in) the information on the back is extremely basic and straight forward... so it's easy to understand. |
oly
Member Posts: 1473
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
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posted 11-05-2018 08:36 AM
I was in no way questioning your motive, I am simply curious.I have a similar hobby. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-05-2018 08:53 AM
No worries, I am not a lawyer... so my understanding of this stuff is pretty basic. I think I'm OK but I'm no expert. If someone sees an issue with what I'm doing and I need to make a change please let me know. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-06-2018 02:08 PM
OK, so I have started this project and I have a few made up. I made a couple changes following some issues I found with the original prototypes I made and posted earlier. The Vostok 1 card is basically the same as it was before minus the card number being changed. There were however a few changes to the American design. First, I rearranged how the crews are listed on the back to save space. Second, I removed the NASA meatball logo. The discussions here about copyright concerns made me go back a re-read that NASA rules. The use of NASA images for non-commercial and educational material is allowed. However, they are a bit more guarded on the use of the meatball as it could imply official endorsement by NASA. So, I removed it. Here are the first 3 cards in the set: #1 Vostok 1  #2 MR-3 Freedom 7  #3 MR-4 Liberty Bell 7  I hope you like them. Any comments are always welcome. |
James913
Member Posts: 329
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 11-06-2018 11:25 PM
I really like these – good job. The only suggestion I would have so far regards the card front border – white looks a little plain. How about replacing the white edge above and below the flag bar with a Hubble deep sky star field photo or similar space shot? |
LM1
Member Posts: 863
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-07-2018 06:08 AM
This is a big project and I congratulate you for your effort and creativity. I believe that you are correct that NASA photos are in public domain as long as they do not suggest NASA's support for a project. If you are going chronologically, do you envision including China's manned missions when you get to them? What about crew photos of astronauts and cosmonauts? Good luck on your project. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-07-2018 10:38 AM
quote:
Originally posted by James913:
The only suggestion I would have so far regards the card front border...
I played around with changing the boarder a bit but I just couldn't find anything I liked. The truth is... the basic design for this card comes from another project that I created recently. It's a football card set featuring various members of the Oregon Ducks team. I did that set with a green boarder and a series of stripes in place of the flag. I experimented with both green and white boarders for that design and found I really liked the green, in part because the photo boarder on those is yellow the white didn't contrast well with it.With this set, the photo borders are a much stronger red and blue respectively. So, I had a hard time finding something that I really liked. Initially, I decided to go with a colored border to match the strong photo border with a softer version of the same color but I felt that it made the cards feel flat. Not enough contrast, at least to my eye. I also experimented with photo backgrounds. I tried a photo of the Milky Way taken from the Nevada desert and a photo of Earth from orbit taken on STS-107. Of the three, I liked the Earth orbit the best but I just felt like it was too busy. I will post those below. If anyone really likes them or has a better background idea I'm all ears. They could easily be changed since only a few are made at this point. If someone has a photo they recommended for a background let me know.  quote:
Originally posted by LM1:
...do you envision including China's manned missions when you get to them?
Thank you for the kind words.So, my plan is to include any flight that the USAF could consider a spaceflight. So, that will be all of NASA's, Russia's and China's successful manned launches as well as several X-15 flights and the final three SpaceShipOne flights. In addition to that, I plan on including a card for three Russian failed manned launches as well as STS-51-L. As far as photos go, I'm probably going to try and stick in mission photos of some kind but I may do a crew here and there if I can't find anything I like better. The STS-51-L card will be a crew photo of some kind for sure. Early Russian photos are pretty hard to find, so crew photos might be the best option for some of those. I may have to use some generic photos for the X-15 cards. |
LM1
Member Posts: 863
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 11-08-2018 05:52 AM
Once you see the various other backgrounds, it is hard to go back and choose the white border. I like the star field background. |
SpaceyInMN
Member Posts: 367
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013
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posted 11-08-2018 10:25 PM
I really like this idea a lot. I've been considering trying to copy the basic form and monochrome color palette of my Jack Swigert signed campaign card and produce similar cards for Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, with the hope of getting them signed so I can frame them all together. Your work has inspired me to try to do that this weekend. Thanks!Incidentally, I also prefer the Milky Way starfield background. It's very sharp. |
James913
Member Posts: 329
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 11-09-2018 04:59 AM
Got to say, I like the starfield border a lot. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-09-2018 08:58 AM
Thank you for all the kind words everyone... both here and those of you who have reached out to me privately.I have given your words some thought and have decided to "begin again" with this set and change the border. The reason that I went with the white border is because I like trading cards from that early 1990s over produced era. That's what I collected as a kid remember fondly. More importantly, I felt an image border was too busy and drew attention away from the intended focus of the card. Well, I played with it a bit and was able to get the colors of the border image a little more subdued which I feel still allows the focus to be on the point of the card. So, I decided to change it to a photo border. Now, I really like the Earth orbital boarder. Most of our manned space missions have occurred in LEO so that's the view they had. Plus, I like seeing both the Earth and space in the background. So, I went with the STS-107 orbital photo. Here are the first few cards remade with that boarder and a few new ones: #1 Vostok 1  #2 MR-3 Freedom 7  #3 MR-4 Liberty Bell 7  #4 Vostok 2  More will follow. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-09-2018 09:17 AM
#5 MA-6 Friendship 7 #6 MA-7 Aurora 7  #7 X-15 Flight No 62  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-12-2018 10:15 AM
OK, here are the cards to round out 1962:#8 Vostok 3  #9 Vostok 4  #10 MA-8 Sigma 7  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-12-2018 05:29 PM
OK, here are a few more I finished up today. This gets them through the Mercury and Vostok Programs.#11 X-15 Flight No.77  #12 MA-9 Faith 7  #13 Vostok 5  #14 Vostok 6  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-13-2018 05:02 PM
Here are the next three cards:#15 X-15 Flight No.87  #16 X-15 Flight No.90  #17 X-15 Flight No.91  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-19-2018 02:20 PM
Here's a few more:#18 Voskhod 1  #19 Voskhod 2  #20 Gemini 3 Molly Brown  #21 Gemini IV  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 12:54 PM
Here is the next group:#22 X-15 Flight No. 138  #23 X-15 Flight No. 143  #24 Gemini V  #25 X-15 Flight No. 150  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 12:55 PM
#26 X-15 Flight No. 153 #27 Gemini VII  #28 Gemini VI-A  #29 Elliot See and Charles Bassett  |
thisismills
Member Posts: 547
From: Michigan
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 11-21-2018 03:34 PM
Great work so far, really like how this project is going and look forward to seeing more.One comment on the Gemini V card. I would propose using an image of the patch worn by the crew on their suits or the crew souvenir version instead of the AB Emblem version made later. This comment goes for the rest of the Gemini patches as well. I think many would prefer inclusion of the crew patch versus any of the alternative designs. Chris Spain's Crew Patch reference guide is the gold standard for these sorts of things if you haven't already found it. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 04:15 PM
That's a great resource... thanks. I hadn't seen that site.I have honestly been trying to use digital versions of the patches, not images of cloth patches because they are more uniform. But, I can't always find them (as was the case in Gemini V (plus, I wanted to have the "8 Days or Bust" which had to be covered on the flown patch). I will definitely use that site as a resource. Thanks! |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2154
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 05:40 PM
Congratulations on a truly magnificent project, and I wish it well. Could I ask one thing, however, and that is to please change the incorrect spelling of Elliot See's name? His first name (Elliot) is only spelt with one "t." |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 05:45 PM
Yes, I will get that fixed. I run all the text through a spell checker before I post the cards (because my spelling is not always the best) and sometimes it accidentally edits names. My bad, I didn't catch it had changed that. I will fix it. Thank you for pointing it out. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 05:49 PM
OK, it's fixed. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2154
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 11-21-2018 06:34 PM
Thanks Ritchie, and good luck with the cards. They look terrific. |
perineau
Member Posts: 404
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 11-22-2018 03:05 AM
Fantastic project!!! When you get to Apollo, you might want to consider the crews of the simulations 2TV-1 (CSM), LTA-8 (LM) and SMEAT (Skylab) that were vital to Apollo's success. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 11-22-2018 08:15 AM
That's a great idea. I hadn't thought of that. I will have to add them when I get to that point. If you guys have any good links for photos it would be very helpful. I know I have one of the SMEAT crew, but I don't have anything on file for 2TV-1 or LTA-8. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 12-07-2018 08:14 AM
So, been a bit slow working on these lately. Been super busy at work and been fighting this horrible virus that is going around. But, I am still working on this project.My guess is, I will work on it in bursts as my schedule allows. Here's the next one: #30 Gemini VIII  |
LM1
Member Posts: 863
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 12-07-2018 11:04 PM
You are doing fantastic with the card set. Keep up the good work. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 02-09-2019 11:14 AM
Sorry for the delay with these. I have been super busy with work and this project got put on the back burner. Here are a few more I did recently.#31 Gemini IX-A  #32 Gemini X  #33 Gemini XI  #34 X-15 Flight No. 174  #35 Gemini XII  #36 Apollo 1  |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 631
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 02-11-2019 10:40 AM
Here are a few more. A while back I had some requests to include the LTA-8 and 2TV-1 vacuum chamber tests in the set. So, here they are.#37 Soyuz 1  #38 X-15 Flight No. 190  #39 X-15 Flight No. 191  #40 LTA-8  #41 2TV-1  #42 X-15 Flight No. 197  |
perineau
Member Posts: 404
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 02-12-2019 01:37 AM
Great job, as always! |
perineau
Member Posts: 404
From: FRANCE
Registered: Jul 2007
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posted 02-13-2019 11:13 AM
After LTA-8 and 2 TV-1, another simulation you might want to consider is the SMEAT Skylab simulation in 1972, which paved the way for the Skylab missions.Another possibility would be the Skylab rescue standby mission as well... |
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