posted 10-14-2012 09:58 PM               

Space Autograph of the Week Topic 8: George Luck

Many of the X-Plane programs had aircraft launched from a mothership. Starting with the B-29 and B-50 with the X-1 rocketplane through the B-52 for the X-24B.

George E. Luck was a United States Air Force pilot who flew the B-52 Stratofortress on 41 twenty-four hours missions, with nuclear arms. Luck would later become the B-52 commander on mothership flights for the X-24 rocketplane program.

The cover pictured is of the 33rd X-24 flight (5th flight of the X-24B) on which the NASA pilot was Mike Love. Luck has signed and inscribed the cover with his role as "B-52 Mothership Commander." There are also covers that Luck flew aboard the B-52 for some X-24 flights.

posted 10-16-2012 08:27 AM               

George Luck was a friendly and cooperative signer for us X-24B fans and also was kind to fly a number of covers, which the cover below is an excellent example.