Artifact: Apollo 14 cover.

Dimensions: 9.5 x 16.4 cm.
Program: Apollo.

Description:

Apollo 14 cover, issued for the launch of Apollo 14. It features the mission's patch design.

Name and address digitally blacked out due to privacy reasons.

Item: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project cover.
Size: 9.5x16.5 cm.

Description: Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. The project, and its handshake in space, was a symbol of détente between the two superpowers during the Cold War.

Item: STS-8 flown cover with presentation folder.
Size: 16.1 x 9.5 cm. Presentation folder: 21.4 x 28 cm. 

Description: through the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Postal Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, this special event cover (envelope) was developed and carried aboard STS-8,
NASA's official designation for the eighth Space Shuttle flight. This cover is unique because it is the first to record the flight into space with originating and returning postal cancellations. The cover’s front
cachet is a reproduction of NASA's official “patch” design for STS-8, and the cachet on the reverse side depicts NASA’s 25th anniversary logo. The stamp affixed is also noteworthy because it was issued at the Kennedy Space Center on August 12, 1983.

The August 14, 1983, cancellation date on the front of the cover indicates the day STS-8 was scheduled to be launched with its cargo of covers, including this one NASA’s 25th anniversary logo is part of the

cancellation design on the front of the cover. The circular postmark cancellation

On the reverse side of the cover indicates the place and date the shuttle returned to Earth.

Members of the crew were Richard H. Truly, commander, Daniel C. Brandenstein, Dale A. Gardner, Guion S. Bluford and William B. Thornton.

During the flight, the INSAT-1B communications satellite was put into orbit and several important experiments were conducted. One of these included using an electrical field to separate molecules in
liquid suspension, for possible pharmaceutical applications. Also, the 50 foot-long mechanical arm in the cargo payload area was tested in preparation for retrieving the Solar Observatory Satellite which was launched several years ago to monitor the sun. On a later shuttle flight, NASA plans to have astronauts take the ailing observatory out of its orbit, make repairs, and then relaunch it.

Item: Wernher von Braun autopensigned Apollo 11 moonlanding cover.
Size: 16.5 x 9.2 cm.

Description: same autopen pattern as seen on this picture.

Item: Apollo 13 flown Command Module film on Fred Haise signed cover
Size: Size: 16.2 x 9. 2 cm.

Description:

A piece of film on the front and back of the cover and signed by Fred Haise on the cover. The inscription on the front reads: "Splashdown - Crew recover.

April 17, 1970 - After jettison on the LM "lifeboat" and the damaged Service Module, the Apollo 13 crew returned safely to Earth as their Command Ship Odyssey splashed down less than 4 miles from the awaiting recovery ship, USS Iwo Jima, in the South Pacific Ocean. The splashdown was perfect and once on board the carrier deck, astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert, looked tired but happy. The curtain was brought down on the most harried and critical flight emergency of the entire NASA manned space program. Never in recorded history was a journey of such peril been watched and waited-out by almost the entire human race."

On the back of the cover says:

"Flown film

This is a piece of 70 mm Apollo 13 film fom a roll of processed film. The film was salvaged by Dick Underwood, NASA Supervisory Aerospace Technologist, who was ran the developing machines at NASA for ll returning flights."

"Also a piece of Apollo 13 flown film on the front of this cover"

Signed by Sandy Clarkson, The Right Stuff Space

Apollo 13 flown film

This film segment on the postal cover is from the Dick Underwood collection.

Apollo 13 carried 4 Hasselblad 70mm cameras. Only 2 of the cameras were used taking a total of 584 exposures. The exposures were captured on 5 magazines; 95 on B&W film and 489 on color film.

Because of the oxigen tank explosion in the Service Module the focus of the mission changed from the third lunar landing to bringing the crippled ship and crew home safely. The cameras played a critical role in capturing the photos of the LM's Lithium Hydroxide Canister as "fixed" by Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert. Photos of the Service Module as it was released from the Command Module allowed a detailed analysis of the damage caused by the explosion. As Fred Haise has stated "The damage looked much worse than expected".

The film leaders and tails that Dick UNderwood salvaged 50 years ago were recently rediscovered. Thankfully film from several missions were each packaged separately. And we are fortunate Underwood not only saved the film remnants but also documented exactly which mission each leader and tail came from.

For Apollo 13 the photo below is one section of film today. This film is from Underwood's Apollo 13 envelope containing all flown laders and tails, but no magazine identification is indicated. One of the Apollo 13 film magazines used by the crew contained 6 images that NASA determined were unusuable (AS-13-9040 to AS13-63-9045). This film magazine was unnamed. The small piece of film affixed to this envelope is flown and is from the unnamed magazine.

As can be seen due to age and poor storage conditions portions of the film are different colores. The film leader/tail have plastic extensions tapped to the end of the film. These extensions were added as means to feed the film into the processing machine used to develop the film rolls. For this project, as seen in the photograph, the grey plastic extensions have been separated from the actual film.

Item: Ron Evans signed Apollo 17 recovery cover
Size: Size: 16.2 x 9. 2 cm.

Description: On the back side, written with pencil says: Norfolk, VA. 12-19-72. Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr. (November 10, 1933 – April 7, 1990) was an American electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, officer and aviator in the United States Navy, and NASA astronaut. As Command Module Pilot on Apollo 17 he was one of the 24 astronauts to have flown to the Moon, and one of 12 people to have flown to the Moon without landing on it.

Item: Rocket pioneer Ernst Stuhlinger handsigned Apollo 8 FDC
Size: 16.6 x 9.2 cm.

Description: Ernst Stuhlinger signed cover.

Ernst Stuhlinger (December 19, 1913 – May 25, 2008) was a German-American atomic, electrical, and rocket scientist. After being brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip, he developed guidance systems with Wernher von Braun's team for the US Army, and later was a scientist with NASA. He was also instrumental in the development of the ion engine for long-endurance space flight, and a wide variety of scientific experiments.

Item: Gemini 9 launch cover with flown heatshield fragments
Size: Size: 16.5 x 9.3 cm.

Description:

Cover with flown pieces of heatshield flown on Gemini 9A.

Gemini 9A (officially Gemini IX-A) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. It was the seventh manned Gemini flight, the 13th manned American flight, and the 23rd spaceflight of all time (includes X-15 flights over 100 kilometers (62 mi)). The original crew of Gemini 9, pilot in command Elliot See and pilot Charles Bassett, were killed in an accident on February 28, 1966 while flying a T-38 trainer jet to the McDonnell Aircraft plant in St. Louis, Missouri to inspect their spacecraft. Their deaths promoted the backup crew, Thomas P. Stafford and Eugene Cernan, to the prime crew. The mission was renamed Gemini 9A after the original May 17 launch was scrapped when the mission's Agena target vehicle was destroyed after a launch failure. The mission was conducted from June 3 to 6, 1966, after the launch of the backup Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA). Stafford and Cernan encountered the ATDA, but were unable to dock because the nose fairing had not ejected from the docking target due to a launch preparation error. Cernan conducted a two-hour extravehicular activity, during which he was planned to demonstrate free flight in an autonomous rocket package, the USAF Astronaut Maneuvering Unit. He was unable to accomplish this due to stress, fatigue, and overheating.

Gemini 9A spacecraft on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Item: Apollo-Soyuz - Flown kapton foil on cover
Size: 9.5x16.5 cm.

Description: ASTP double postmarked cover for launch Moscow and Cape Canaveral with attached flown Kapton foil from the US Command Module. It includes copy from certificate signed by Kenneth L. Havekotte.

Item: Apollo 11 Tickertape parade cover

Size: 9.3x16.5 cm
Date: 13-08-1969

Size: 9.2x16.5 cm.

Date: 24-07-1969

Description: Signed by Lt. Richard J. Barrett, Lt. George R. Conn, and Curtis E. Hill. Helo number 64 was designated Swim Two and that helicopter was the closest to the command module's splashdown area. The Helo's crew consists of pilot, Lt. Richard J. Barrett of Swannanoa, North Carolina; copilot, Lt. George R. Conn, Imperial Beach, California, Petty Officer 2nd Class Curtis E. Hill, Black Rock, Arkansas, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard B. Seaton, Hibbing, Minnesota. Additional text in pencil: "Frogmen who reached the capsule first". It contains two pieces of paper inside the cover. One with the names of the crewmen, and another one with the following text: "Apollo 11 recovery ship New signed by frogmen that first reached the capsule. Scarce... $8.00"

Item: Apollo-Soyuz First Day of Issue Cover signed by Alexei Leonov
Size: 16.5x9.2 cm.

Description: On 18 March 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for 12 minutes and 9 seconds. He was also selected to be the first Soviet person to land on the Moon although the project was cancelled.

In July 1975, Leonov commanded the Soyuz capsule in the Soyuz–Apollo mission, which docked in space for two days with an American Apollo capsule.

Item: STS-1 Columbia - Houston cover
Size: 9.2 x 16.5 cm.
Date: 1981-04-13

Item: Apollo-Soyuz cover signed by Vance Brand
Size: 9.2 x 16.5 cm.
Date: 1975-07-17

Description: signed by command pilot Vance Brand.

Item: STS-1 Columbia - KSC-Edwards AFB cover
Size: 9.1 x 16.6 cm.
Date: 1981-04-12 / 1981-04-14

Item: STS-1 Columbia cover
Size: 9.1 x 16.6 cm.
Date: 1981-04-12

Item: STS-51-L Challenger cover
Size: 9.2 x 16.5 cm.
Date: 1986-01-28

Item: Man's First Landing on the Moon cover
Size: 9.2 x 16 cm.

Description: First day of issue of First Man on the Moon stamp.

Size: 9.2 x 16 cm.
Description: First day of issue of First Man on the Moon stamp.

Item: Space Shuttle arrives at Kennedy Space Center Florida Cover
Size: 16.5 x 9.4 cm.

Description: Delivery of the Columbia orbiter to the Kennedy Space Center on 04-25-1979 (marked on the envelope dated 03-24-1979 at 11:03 AM).