Bob M
Member Posts: 2020
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 03-24-2025 10:52 AM
   
Presented here are autographs of mostly lesser-known individuals involved in space, but who have contributed to America's space program. These autographs span from those involved in testing and designing the Nazi V-2 rockets at Peenemuende, Germany, to the team that maintained shuttle Challenger's tile protection system. USAF Aerospace nurse, Dee O'Hara, served as the Mercury astronaut's chief nurse, with her career spanning from Mercury to ASTP. She was well-known at the time and even was a contestant on the TV panel show, "What's my Line" in 1962.  This is an unofficial first day cover of the Von Karman commemorative stamp, that pictures a V-2 rocket launch. That's a very appropriate stamp with a V-2 rocket in its design, as the stamp is on a cover that is autographed by eight members of Wernher von Braun's rocket team who were directly involved with the V-2's design and testing and subsequent use in WWII. However, these eight German rocket scientists were all later directly involved in the US space and rocket program and contributed to its success. Albert Schuler, one of the eight rocket experts who signed this cover, passed away in 1998, along with two others all in the same week, as stated in the article with the cover. The Explorer 1 anniversary cover is signed by Max Nowak, one of the three mentioned in the article. This cover signed by eight rocket pioneers required eight separate mailings out and eight mailings back, with it traveling to Huntsville, AL seven times and to Santa Clara, CA once.  In 1978, NASA announced the selection of thirty-five astronaut candidates who would begin their training to fly on NASA's new space shuttle. The cover was canceled in Houston on the day that the "Thirty-five New Guys" reported to Johnson Space Center to begin their Space Shuttle careers. The autographs on the cover are of the members of the astronaut selection board that selected the 35 new astronaut candidates. Six are flown astronauts, including John Young, but the others are mostly in NASA management and not widely known (two I can't identify): - George Abbey: later JSC Director
- Carolyn Huntoon: later first female JSC Director
- R.O. Piland: Director of Engineering and Development
- Jack Lister: NASA manager
- James Trainor: Goddard SFC Chief Scientist
Regarding the autographs, Abbey accounted for five, while Ed Gibson accounted for three. But still not complete, the cover was sent out four more times to end up in its current stage. Three more signatures have been identified as those of Joseph D. Atkinson, Martin L. Raines and Duane L. Ross. So represented here are signatures of 13 of the 16 Astronaut Selection Board members for Group 8. Not signing are Joe Kerwin, Glenn Lunney and Duane L. Ross.  Most of the 35 new astronauts that the astronaut selection board selected later flew on space shuttle Challenger. This cover for Challenger's STS-8 flight is signed by about 20 of the tile experts who were involved in the maintenance of Challenger's (TPS) Thermal Protection System (mainly tiles). All autographs were applied with just one mailing to Kennedy Space Center. |
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