My 1964 JFK (USA - Scott 1246) FDC Collection

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 29 Jan 2017 13:35

A Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Apollo Capsule cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the assassination of JFK. It is also signed by Robert G Rank, the designer of the local post issue. Presumably Robert G Rank added the additional information on the Apollo Capsule to the cover.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 29 Jan 2017 15:49

The Ranger program was a series of unmanned space missions by the U S which had it's beginnings in 1959 whose objective was to obtain the first close-up images of the surface of the Moon. Rangers 1 through to 6 all ended in failure but Ranger 7 was the first American space probe to successfully transmit close images of the lunar surface back to Earth. Launched on July 28, 1964, Ranger 7 was designed to achieve a lunar impact trajectory & to transmit high resolution photographs of the lunar surface during the final minutes of flight up to impact. Ranger 7 transmitted over 4,300 photographs during the final 17 minutes of its flight.

A Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Ranger 7 Probe cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the assassination of JFK. It is also signed by Robert G Rank, the designer of the local post issue. Presumably Robert G Rank added the additional information on the Ranger 7 Probe to the cover.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 29 Jan 2017 16:05

The Surveyor program was a NASA program that, from June 1966 through January 1968, sent seven robotic spacecraft to the surface of the Moon. Its primary goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon. The mission called for the craft to travel directly to the Moon on an impact trajectory, on a journey that lasted 63 to 65 hours, & ended with a deceleration of just over three minutes to a soft landing. The program was implemented by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to prepare for the Apollo program. JPL selected Hughes Aircraft to develop the spacecraft system.

Five of the Surveyor craft successfully soft-landed on the moon, including the first one. The other two failed: Surveyor 2 crashed at high velocity after a failed mid-course correction, & Surveyor 4 was lost to contact (possibly exploding) 2.5 minutes before its scheduled touch-down.

All seven spacecraft are still on the Moon; none of the missions included returning them to Earth. Some parts of Surveyor 3 were returned to Earth by the crew of Apollo 12, which landed near it in 1969. The camera from this craft is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

A Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Surveyor Probe cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the assassination of JFK. It is also signed by Robert G Rank, the designer of the local post issue. Presumably Robert G Rank added the additional information on the Surveyor Probe to the cover.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 29 Jan 2017 16:15

The Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), or Apollo Lunar Module (LM), was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman Aircraft to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface & back. It consisted of an ascent stage & descent stage, & was ferried to lunar orbit by its companion Command & Service Module (CSM), which also took the astronauts home to Earth. After completing its mission, the LM was discarded. The Lunar Module was the first manned spacecraft to operate exclusively in the airless vacuum of space.

Six such craft successfully landed on the Moon between 1969 & 1972. A seventh provided propulsion & life support for the crew of Apollo 13 when their CSM was disabled by an oxygen tank explosion en route to the Moon

A Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Lunar Exploration Module cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the assassination of JFK.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 29 Jan 2017 16:29

A Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Lunar Exploration Module cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the assassination of JFK. It is also signed by Robert G Rank, the designer of the local post issue. Presumably Robert G Rank added the additional information on the Lunar Exploration Module to the cover.

The Lunar Exploration Module featured on the stamp from the 1971 issue of a "Decade of Space Achievements 1961 - 1971".

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 29 Jan 2017 16:48

The Mercury space capsule was produced by McDonnell Aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation & defense contractor formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft & the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. McDonnell made a number of missiles, including the unusual ADM-20 Quail, as well as experimenting with hypersonic flight, research that enabled it to gain a substantial share of the NASA projects Mercury & Gemini. Douglas also gained contracts from NASA, notably for part of the enormous Saturn V rocket.

McDonnell "Project Mercury" franking machine cancel from St. Louis Missouri in blue.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 30 Jan 2017 11:03

Project Mercury,which took it's name from the Roman God of travel, was the first human spaceflight program of the U S, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit & return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Union. Taken over from the U.S. Air Force by the newly created civilian space agency NASA, it conducted twenty unmanned developmental flights (some using animals), & six successful flights by astronauts. The astronauts were collectively known as the "Mercury Seven", & each spacecraft was given a name ending with a "7" by its pilot.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Mercury Capsule cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 30 Jan 2017 11:13

The Mercury 7 team of astronauts visit Houston on 4th of July 1962:

Houston Philatelic Souvenir cachet, featuring the 7 astronauts, & cancelled with Houston Texas cds hand cancel.

Pictured on the cachet are:

Back row - Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter
Front row - Wally Shirra, Gordon Cooper, Deke Slayton

Deke Slayton was the only Mercury Astronaut not to fly a mission. He was scheduled to fly the fourth manned mission but was replaced by Carpenter when he fell ill.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 30 Jan 2017 11:25

For those who have an interest in the US Space race & Project Mercury, the movie "The Right Stuff" is a must watch:

The Right Stuff is a 1983 American epic historical drama film that was adapted from Tom Wolfe's best-selling 1979 book of the same name about the Navy, Marine & Air Force test pilots who were involved in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as well as the seven military pilots who were selected to be the astronauts for Project Mercury, the first manned spaceflight by the U S. In 2013 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"

Main Cast Members:
Fred Ward as Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, USAF
Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper, USAF
Ed Harris as John Glenn, USMC
Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard, USN
Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager, Colonel, USAF
Lance Henriksen as Walter "Wally" Schirra, USN
Scott Paulin as Donald K. "Deke" Slayton, USAF
Barbara Hershey as Glennis Yeager
Charles Frank as Scott Carpenter, USN
Donald Moffat as U.S. Senator and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson
Levon Helm as Jack Ridley, USAF and the narrator
Scott Beach as Head German Scientist based on Wernher von Braun
Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, USAF (Ret) as Fred, the bartender at Pancho's saloon
David Gulpilil as Aboriginal Man

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 30 Jan 2017 12:08

Mercury is in McCulloch County, Texas with a population of 166, is about 300 miles north west of Houston (with Austin in between). The community was founded in 1904, shortly after the arrival of the Fort Worth & Rio Grande Railroad. As a result Mercury became a livestock shipping point. From 1938 the town went into decline & today is little more than a ghost town.

Currently there is only one original building standing in the Town of Mercury. It is the Bank Of Mercury building that was built by Thomas Beasley in 1903 as a bank & mercantile store. The only thing that remains of the building are the four outer walls & the vault that Thomas Beasley built. It is rumored that the vault has a dome that is filled with sand. Beasley's theory was that if someone were to blow the safe, the top would collapse & cover everything in sand. By the time the would be thieves got to anything everyone in town would be there to see what was going on. The post office opened here in 1904 & closed in 1972.

Uncacheted cover with nice Mercury Texas 4 bar cds hand cancel on the Project Mercury stamp. A Rumanian "wallpaper" stamp of Project Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter has been added & also cancelled at Mercury, as US Postal Regulations allow, even though it already had a cto cancel on it. The cover is underpaid as it should have had 6c postage on it.

I am not sure if there is any significance of the date of March 1, 1971, perhaps Scott Carpenter paid a visit to the town

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 30 Jan 2017 23:04

Titan was a family of U.S. expendable rockets used between 1959 & 2005. A total of 368 rockets of this family were launched, including all the Project Gemini manned flights of the mid-1960s. The Titan III was a modified Titan II with optional solid rocket boosters. It was developed on behalf of the U S Air Force as a heavy lift satellite launcher.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Titan 3 Rocket cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 30 Jan 2017 23:38

It certainly looks like the date stamp section of the local post postmark was removed from the issue of November 22, 1964 & the blue-green date January 29, 1965 added separately.

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Titan 3 Rocket cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 31 Jan 2017 10:10

The Saturn family of American rocket boosters was developed by a team of mostly German rocket scientists led by Wernher von Braun to launch heavy payloads to Earth orbit & beyond. Originally proposed as a military satellite launcher, they were adopted as the launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program. Three versions were built & flown: Saturn I, Saturn IB, and Saturn V. The Saturn name was proposed by von Braun in October 1958.

President John F. Kennedy identified the Saturn I SA-5 launch as being the point where US lift capability would surpass the Soviets, after having been behind since Sputnik. This was last mentioned by him in a speech he gave at Brooks AFB in San Antonio Texas on the day before he was assassinated.

There were 10 Saturn I launches with the SA-5 occurring on January 29, 1964.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Saturn I Rocket cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 31 Jan 2017 10:17

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Saturn I Rocket cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 31 Jan 2017 23:14

Ham (1956 – January 19, 1983), also known as Ham the Chimp & Ham the Astrochimp, was a chimpanzee & the first hominid launched into space, on 31 January 1961, as part of America's space program. Ham's name is an acronym for the lab which prepared him for his historic mission — the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center, located at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Ham was taught to push a lever within five seconds of seeing a flashing blue light which differentiates Ham's mission from all the other primate flights to this point, he was not merely a passenger, & the results from his test flight led directly to the mission Alan Shepard made on May 5, 1961 aboard Freedom 7.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Chimp Ham cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 31 Jan 2017 23:22

Ham was buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico in 1983.

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Chimp Ham cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2017 19:24

Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967), (Lt Col, USAF), was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts, a US Air Force test pilot & mechanical engineer. He was the second American to fly in space, & the first member of the NASA Astronaut Corps to fly in space twice. Grissom was killed along with fellow astronauts Ed White & Roger Chaffee during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (then known as Cape Kennedy), Florida. He was the first of the Mercury Seven to die.

On July 21, 1961, Grissom was pilot of the second Project Mercury flight, Mercury-Redstone 4, which he named Liberty Bell 7. This was a sub-orbital flight that lasted 15 minutes & 37 seconds. After splashdown, emergency explosive bolts unexpectedly fired & blew the hatch off, causing water to flood into the spacecraft & sink. Grissom was nearly drowned but was rescued by the recovery helicopter. Liberty Bell 7 was recovered in 1999.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Gus Grissom cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2017 19:41

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Gus Grissom cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket. Cover is signed by Local Post Stamp Designer, Robert G Rank.

The cover also has had applied a rubber cachet in red to commemorate his Gemini 3, the first manned Project Gemini flight, which flew on March 23, 1965. This mission made him the first NASA astronaut to fly into space twice. This flight made three revolutions of the Earth & lasted for 4 hours, 52 minutes & 31 seconds. He was accompanied on the mission by John Young, being the first two manned American flight.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2017 19:49

A NASA Local Post cover with Gus Grissom local post affixed honouring Project Mercury. As no US Post Office stamps have been added this cover was not valid for postage. As the cover is unaddressed I am not sure to where the cover was to be delivered.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2017 20:15

Patrick Air Force Base is 11 miles south of Cape Canaveral with Cocoa Beach in between.

Unknown cachet postmarked with Patrick Air Force Base wavy line machine cancel on the date of Gus Grissom's flight.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2017 20:36

USS Randolph (CV/CVA/CVS-15) was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the U S Navy. The second US Navy ship to bear the name, she was named after Peyton Randolph, president of the First Continental Congress. Randolph was commissioned in October 1944, & after the war, she was modernized as an attack carrier (CVA), & later became an anti-submarine carrier (CVS). In the early 1960s she served as the recovery ship for two Project Mercury space missions, including John Glenn's historic first orbital flight.

In July 1961, Randolph sailed for operations in the Caribbean & served as the recovery ship after splashdown for astronaut Virgil Grissom on America's second manned space flight, a suborbital shot. In February 1962, Randolph was the primary recovery ship for astronaut John Glenn on his flight, the first American orbital voyage in space. After his historic three-orbit flight, he landed safely near the destroyer Noa from which he was transferred, by helicopter, to Randolph. She may have been used in Shirra's recovery task force but she was not the prime recovery ship.

Souvenir cover postmarked on the date of Wally Shirra's flight with USS Randolph 4 bar cds hand cancel.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 01 Feb 2017 22:28

A modification to the Mercury Capsule was the addition of a window. In fact the movie "The Right Stuff" showed a revolt by the astronauts who refused to fly without one. Wernher von Braun reluctantly agreed include one. Imagine going all that way into space & not being able to see where you have been

Mercury spacecraft #11 was designated to fly the second manned suborbital flight in October, 1960. It came off McDonnell's St. Louis production line in May 1960. Spacecraft #11, which was named Liberty Bell 7 by Grissom, was the first Mercury operational spacecraft with a centre line window instead of two portholes. The new trapezoidal window on spacecraft #11 replaced the two 10 inch side portholes that were on Freedom 7. The Corning Glass Works of Corning, New York, designed & developed the multi-layered panes that made up the new window. This new window assembly was as strong as any part of the spacecraft pressure vessel.

Not Corning, California, it was Corning, New York.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 02 Feb 2017 08:18

The cover above from Corning California has a notation that it was postmarked before the flight was completed. The cover is postmarked Corning, California on February 20, 1962 at 6.00 am (at which time I would highly suspect the post office was not open). This stamp was to be issued upon the successful completion of John Glenn's orbital flight. It's issue was to lift the spirits of the American people & a failed mission would not achieve that.

Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) was the third human spaceflight for the U.S. & part of Project Mercury. Conducted by NASA on February 20, 1962, the mission was piloted by astronaut John Glenn, who performed three orbits of the Earth, making him the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth. It was a four hour & 56 minute flight:

Launch date February 20, 1962, 14:47:39 UTC
Rocket Atlas LV-3B 109-D
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-14
End of mission
Recovered by USS Noa
Landing date February 20, 1962, 19:43:02 UTC

UTC (Co-ordinated Universal Time) is similar to GMT (Greenwich mean time), so using a 24 hour clock, the time 14:47:39 is the same for UTC & GMT. Now when the time is 14:47:39 in Greenwich UK, the time at Cape Canaveral is 9.47.39 & in California the time is 6.47.39. As our shown fdc was postmarked at 6.00 am or 06:00:00, it means our cover was postmarked not only before the mission was successfully completed but also before the mission even started.

However more than likely some one forgot to change to time on the postmarker.

Then we have this cover from Midvale Utah which was postmarked the day before the flight on February 19, 1962:

Perhaps someone forgot to change the date from the day before

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 03 Feb 2017 04:18

Enos (d. November 4, 1962) was the second chimpanzee launched into space by NASA & the first chimpanzee, & third hominidae after cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin & Gherman Titov, to achieve Earth orbit.

Enos was brought from the Miami Rare Bird Farm on April 3, 1960. He completed more than 1,250 training hours at the University of Kentucky & Holloman Air Force Base. Training was more intense for him than for his predecessor Ham, because Enos was exposed to weightlessness & higher gs for longer periods of time. His training included psychomotor instruction & aircraft flights.

Enos was scheduled to complete three orbits, but the mission was aborted after two due to two issues: capsule overheating & a malfunctioning "avoidance conditioning" test subjecting the primate to 76 electrical shocks. The capsule when recovered was brought aboard the USS Stormes (DD-780).

Enos's flight was a full dress rehearsal for the next Mercury launch on February 20, 1962, which would make Lt. Colonel John Glenn the first American to orbit Earth, after astronauts Alan Shepard, Jr. & Gus Grissom's successful suborbital space flights.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Chimp Enos cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 03 Feb 2017 04:25

On November 4, 1962, Enos died of shigellosis related dysentery, which was resistant to then known antibiotics. However attempts by space scholars to locate Enos's remains have been unsuccessful in recent times.

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover (& signed by him) with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Chimp Enos cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 05 Feb 2017 11:59

The Ranger program was a series of unmanned space missions by the U S which had it's beginnings in 1959 whose objective was to obtain the first close up images of the surface of the Moon. Ranger 4 was launched on April 23, 1962. An on board computer failure caused failure of the deployment of the solar panels & navigation systems & as a result the spacecraft crashed on the far side of the Moon without returning any scientific data. It was the first spacecraft of the U S to reach another celestial body.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Ranger 4 spacecraft cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 05 Feb 2017 12:06

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover (& signed by him) with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Ranger 4 spacecraft cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 05 Feb 2017 12:15

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & the Ranger 4 spacecraft cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in blue with a blue date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

This is the only one I have seen postmarked in blue & is a different colour blue to the blue-green date line on the other covers, so I doubt it was a matter of someone using the wrong ink pad.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 05 Feb 2017 23:59

Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013), (Cmdr, USN), was an American naval officer & aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, & aquanaut. He was one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959. Carpenter was the second American (after John Glenn) to orbit the Earth & the fourth American in space, following Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, & John Glenn.

When Deke Slayton was withdrawn on medical grounds from Project Mercury's second manned orbital flight (which Slayton would have named Delta 7), Carpenter was assigned to replace him. He flew into space on May 24, 1962, atop the Mercury-Atlas 7 rocket for a three orbit science mission that lasted nearly five hours. His Aurora 7 spacecraft attained a maximum altitude of 164 miles & an orbital velocity of 17,532 miles per hour. Carpenter performed five on board experiments per the flight plan, & became the first American astronaut to eat solid food in space. He also identified the mysterious "fireflies" observed by Glenn during Friendship 7 as particles of frozen liquid loosened from the outside of the spacecraft, which he could produce by rapping on the wall near the window. He renamed them "frostflies".

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & astronaut Scott Carpenter cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 00:04

Note the change in the red of the local post postmark:

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover (& signed by him) with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & astronaut Scott Carpenter cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in bright red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 00:07

The only one of these souvenir covers I have seen postmarked with the Cape Canaveral wavy line machine cancel.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 00:14

A United Nations air letter overprinted in red "Project Mercury, 2nd American In Orbit, Scott Carpenter, A-OK in "Aurora 7", MA-7 Space Capsule. Air letter is cancelled with a nice pictorial UN hand cancel on the day of the mission.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 00:25

USS Intrepid (CV/CVA/CVS-11), also known as The Fighting "I", is one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the U S Navy. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, most notably the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, she was modernized & recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA), & then eventually became an antisubmarine carrier (CVS).

Intrepid was selected as the principal ship in the recovery team for astronaut Scott Carpenter & his Project Mercury space capsule, Aurora 7. Shortly before noon on 24 May 1962, Carpenter splashed down in Aurora 7 several hundred miles from Intrepid. Minutes after he was located by land-based search aircraft, two helicopters from Intrepid, carrying NASA officials & others were airborne & headed to the rescue. One of the choppers picked him up over an hour later & flew him to the carrier which safely returned him to the U S.

Unknown souvenir cachet postmarked with the USS Intrepid 4 bar cds hand cancel on May 24, 1962, the day that USS Intrepid recovered Scott Carpenter.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 00:45

Unknown cachet souvenir cover with printed signature of M Scott Carpenter cancelled with Port Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel. This is "late" usage of this postmark as I have earlier shown fdi postmarks from Cape Canaveral dated February 20, 1962.

NB Cape Canaveral was known as Artesia from 1891 to 1954, Port Canaveral from 1954 to 1962 & changed to Cape Canaveral in 1962. The earliest use I have of Cape Canaveral is February 20, 1962. I therefore should not have a cover postmarked Port Canaveral May 28, 1962. Looks like some one picked up the wrong postmarker.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 01:03

Scott Carpenter was born in Boulder Colorado & May 29, 1962 was the day of Carpenter's hometown return. It was declared Scott Carpenter Day in Boulder & thousands turned out to watch Carpenter & his wife cruise through town in a convertible during a parade:

Unknown souvenir "rubber stamp type" cachet for the "Home Town of Scott Carpenter. It cancelled with a nice wavy line machine cancel on May 29, 1962, which was also the date of JFK's 45th birthday.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 16:10

Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004), (Col, USAF), better known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aerospace engineer, test pilot, U S Air Force pilot & one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury.

Cooper piloted the longest & final Mercury spaceflight in 1963. He was the first American to sleep in space during that 34 hour mission & was the last American to be launched alone to conduct an entirely solo orbital mission. Cooper was launched into space on May 15, 1963, aboard the Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7) spacecraft, the last Mercury mission. He orbited the Earth 22 times & logged more time in space than all five previous Mercury astronauts combined—34 hours, 19 minutes & 49 seconds—travelling 546,167 miles at 17,547 mph. Cooper splashed down next to his recovery the USS Kearsage on May 16, 1963.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Gordon Cooper cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled with a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket. Cover is signed by Local Post Stamp Designer, Robert G Rank.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 16:27

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & Gordon Cooper cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in bright red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 16:59

May 15, 1963 launching day for Gordon Cooper:

Unknown souvenir cachet cover for the launch of Gordon Cooper in "Faith 7", postmarked on day of take off at Cape Canaveral with nice wavy line machine cancel on May 15, 1963.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 17:02

May 16, 1963, splashdown for Gordon Cooper:

Unknown souvenir cachet cover for the splashdown of Gordon Cooper in "Faith 7", postmarked on day of landing at Cape Canaveral with nice wavy line machine cancel on May 16, 1963.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 18:49

USS Wasp (CV/CVA/CVS-18) was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the U S Navy. The ship was originally named Oriskany, but was renamed while under construction in honour of the previous Wasp (CV-7), which was sunk 15 September 1942. Wasp was commissioned in November 1943, & served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, earning eight battle stars. Like many of her sister ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, but was modernized & recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA), & then eventually became an antisubmarine carrier (CVS). She played a prominent role in the manned space program, serving as the recovery ship for five missions: Gemini IV, Gemini VI, Gemini VII, Gemini IX & Gemini XII. From 11 to 18 May 1963, Wasp took station off Bermuda as a backup recovery ship for Major Gordon Cooper's historic Mercury space capsule recovery.

Unknown cachet souvenir cover for Leroy Gordon Cooper's Project Mercury 22 orbit flight on May 15, 1963 & May 16, 1963. Cover cancelled the wavy line machine cancel (launching day) of the USS Wasp which was the back up recovery ship for Cooper's Faith 7.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 06 Feb 2017 19:41

The USS Kearsage was the prime recovery ship for both Wally Shirra & Gordon Cooper. As I discussed the USS Kearsage earlier & I don't have one dated on the return of Gordo's flight, I won't revisit the USS Kearsage. Faith 7 landed just four miles from the carrier USS Kearsarge. This was the most accurate landing of all the Mercury flights & made so amazing by the failure of the automatic controls. Faith 7 landed 70 nautical miles southeast of Midway Island, in the Pacific Ocean.

Unknown rubber stamp type cachet souvenir cover postmarked on the day of the return of Cooper's Faith 7. It is postmarked with a nice bar cds hand cancel of the US Navy 17005 Branch, which I understand is Midway Island.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 07 Feb 2017 00:21

Donald Kent Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993), (Major, USAF), better known as Deke Slayton, was an American World War II pilot, aeronautical engineer, test pilot who was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts, & became NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office.

After joining NASA, Slayton was selected to pilot the second U.S. manned orbital spaceflight, but was grounded in 1962 by atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm. He then served as NASA's Director of Flight Crew Operations, making him responsible for crew assignments at NASA from November 1963 until March 1972. At that time he was granted medical clearance to fly, & was assigned as the docking module pilot of the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, at age 51 becoming the oldest person to fly in space at the time. This record was surpassed in 1983 by 53 year old John Young & in 1998 by Slayton's fellow Project Mercury astronaut John Glenn, who at the age of 77 flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-95.

Slayton was scheduled to fly in May 1962 on the program's second orbital flight (Mercury-Atlas 7), which he would have named Delta 7 (after the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet since this was the fourth manned Mercury flight, and "7" designating the seven astronauts). However, because of an erratic heart rate (idiopathic atrial fibrillation), he was grounded in September 1962.

A R B Whitney, of Satellite Beach, cachet souvenir cover with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & astronaut Deke Slayton cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled with a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn 1 SA-5 rocket.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 07 Feb 2017 00:46

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover (& signed by him) with a green design Cape Kennedy local post stamp with JFK & astronaut Deke Slayton cancelled with a Gemini Capsule fdi postmark in bright red with a blue-green date line & JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral 4 bar cds hand cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Saturn I SA-5 rocket. Cover is signed by Local Post Stamp Designer, Robert G Rank.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 07 Feb 2017 01:20

This cover is actually two covers stuck together with the back flap of the lower cover stuck to the back of the upper cover. Undoubtedly this cover has been prepared by an "astronut" who has had the cover cancelled on each of the first 8 manned orbital space missions mostly at various Tulsa Oklahoma post offices:

Project Mercury:

February 20, 1962 - Cape Canaveral fdi (John Glenn)
May 24, 1962 - Tulsa cds (Scott Carpenter)
May 16, 1963 - Tulsa Admiral Station cds (Gordon Cooper)

Project Gemini:

March 23, 1965 - _Tulsa Admiral Station cds (Grissom & Young- Gemini 3)
June 3, 1965 - Tulsa Admiral Station cds (McDivitt & White - Gemini 4)
August 21, 1965 - Tulsa Station No 6 cds (Cooper & Conrad - Gemini 5)
December 4, 1965 - Tulsa Station No 6 cds (Borman & Lovell - Gemini 7)
December 15, 1965 - Tulsa Station No 6 cds (Shirra & Stafford - Gemini 6)

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 08 Feb 2017 19:50

Syncom (for "synchronous communication satellite") started as a 1961 NASA program for active geosynchronous communication satellites, all of which were developed & manufactured by Hughes Space & Communications. Syncom 2, launched in 1963, was the world's first geosynchronous communications satellite. Syncom 3, launched in 1964, was the world's first geostationary satellite. All three satellites were cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of about 71 centimetres & a height of about 39 centimetres. Forty five years later all three satellites are still in orbit, although no longer functioning. Syncom 1 was a failure, Syncom 2 allowed phone calls, faxes & soundless TV. Syncom 3 brought the 1964 Tokyo Olympics to the US & operated till 1969.

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with pink & blue design Cape Kennedy & Satellite Beach local post stamps with the Syncom Satellite. The cover is with an Olympic Torch fdi postmark in blue & the JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral wavy line machine cancel, cancelled on the first anniversary of the launch of the Syncom 1 Satellite. Cover is signed by Local Post Stamp Designer, Robert G Rank.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 09 Feb 2017 01:01

Theodore Cordy "Ted" Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964), (Capt, USAF), was an American aeronautical engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, & NASA astronaut. He was killed in the crash of a T-38 jet, marking the first fatality among the NASA Astronaut Corps. On October 31, 1964, Freeman was making a return flight from McDonnell-Douglas training facilities in St. Louis, MO. He was killed during final approach to landing at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas, when a goose flew into the port-side air intake of his NASA-modified T-38 Talon jet trainer causing immediate engine failure & resulting in the jet crashing.

A Robert G Rank cachet souvenir cover with black & white design Cape Kennedy & Satellite Beach local post stamps of Theodore Freeman. The cover is cancelled with a Space Capsule fdi postmark in blue-green & the JFK stamp cancelled a nice Cape Canaveral wavy line machine cancel, cancelled on what would have been Freeman's 35th birthday. Cover is signed by Local Post Stamp Designer, Robert G Rank.

JKA · Post by **JKA** » 12 Feb 2017 05:16

I came across this info about JFK and Alaska post offices, perhaps you can use it.

http://www.esveld.nl/alaska/jfkpostoffices.htm

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 12 Feb 2017 22:20

Thank you JKA. I have a copy. I hope you are enjoying the thread.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 12 Feb 2017 22:35

President John F. Kennedy’s Trip to Europe June 23-July 2, 1963

President John F. Kennedy’s European trip in the summer of 1963 went from June 23 to July 2, 1963. President Kennedy arrived in West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) & met with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of the Federal Republic of Germany & Mayor of West Berlin Willy Brandt. President Kennedy then went to Ireland & met with Irish President Eamon de Valera. Among President Kennedy's travels are a visit to the Kennedy Homestead, with his sisters, Jean Kennedy Smith & Eunice Kennedy Shriver. President Kennedy then travelled to England & met with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. President Kennedy then went to Italy & was met by Italian President Antonio Segni. President Kennedy then visited the Vatican & met Pope Paul V.

Souvenir card for the meeting of JFK with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer cancelled with special postmark for his visit to West Germany.

BigSaint · Post by **BigSaint** » 12 Feb 2017 22:48

Ich bin ein Berliner

"Ich bin ein Berliner" ("I am a Berliner") is a quotation from a June 26, 1963, speech by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin. Kennedy aimed to underline the support of the U S for West Germany 22 months after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall to prevent mass emigration to the West. The message was aimed as much at the Soviets as it was at Berliners & was a clear statement of U.S. policy in the wake of the construction of the Berlin Wall. Another phrase in the speech was also spoken in German, "Lasst sie nach Berlin kommen" ("Let them come to Berlin"), addressed at those who claimed "we can work with the Communists", a remark at which Nikita Khrushchev scoffed only days later.

The speech is considered one of Kennedy's best, both a notable moment of the Cold War and a high point of the New Frontier. It was a great morale boost for West Berliners, who lived in an enclave deep inside East Germany & feared a possible East German occupation. Speaking from a platform erected on the steps of Rathaus Schöneberg for an audience of 450,000, Kennedy said,

Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was civis romanus sum ["I am a Roman citizen"]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner!"... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!"

Kennedy used the phrase twice in his speech, including at the end, pronouncing the sentence with his Boston accent and reading from his note "ish bin ein Bearleener", which he had written out using English orthography to approximate the German pronunciation.

Souvenir card for the meeting of JFK with Willie Brandt cancelled with special postmark for his visit to West Germany, dated 2 days prior to his famous speech.

This now sets the scene for the next batch of JFK covers.