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Archives - Page 5

Catalogues Launched by Russian ASSS Members

Now available for your purchase are two Russian language catalogues authored by members of the Society, but don't be put off because of the language difficulty: you may well be able to transliterate having identified the images if you are interested postal stationery. The catalogue (114 21x15cms pages) has an additional introduction in English.

If you would like a copy (€15 +p&p) contact Oleg at olezab@mail.ru

The second catalogue from Yuri Kvasnikov is a full colour catalogue of stamps issued to commemorate Yuri Gagarin. Issued on 10:02:05, it even refers to the Russian issue for Gagarin which came out in January 2005.

This is a very slim volume, comprising only some twenty-six 21x15cms pages, but if you want to check on those elusive Gagarin items - I recommend you contact Yuri at kwass@rol.ru who will explain how to get your $10 or Euros equivalent to him.

John Young Retires

As reported in the February issue of Spaceflight veteran NASA astronaut John Young has finally left the astronaut corps accepting that he will not be given a further shuttle mission. Having experienced seven launches, one from the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission, Young flew in every NASA craft except a Mercury vehicle in a career lasting 42 years and his achievements are recognised in many stamps. Your Orbit editor (Jeff Duddale) has had the pleasure of meeting Young personally at a lecture given at Aberdeen University in Sepember 1996 and he is a personal hero of his. Laterally, Young's refusal to sign autographs, because of his suspicions that signed items would be exploited commercially, became famous.

Jack McMahan New Space Cover Catalog Supplement Released

In 1974, Jack McMahan released the most comprehensive catalog of U.S. Space events that has been written to this date. Even major events for which no known covers were known to exist were included in this work. As a result many new covers for these events have been located through the ensuring years.

The Space Uint of the ATA and APS is pleased to announce that now, thirty years later, Mr. McMahan has released a supplement to that original work, picking up the most comprehensive listing of events ever compiled for the years 1974 and 1975. His personal numbering system has been revamped making this an easy to follow comprehensive listing of valuable knowledge for Astrophilatelists around the world. To create this work, Jack has had to overcome the obstacle of severe macular degeneration, with the help of special computers from his Veteran's Administration Office. He is legally blind.

This new two-year supplement is to be the beginning of further updates to the catlog. However, before going on with 1976 and beyond, he is currently updating and re-numbering the original work which encompasses events from the mid-1940's through the end of 1973. This update is currently in the final stages of updating, and is being readied for proofing. In addition to US manned and unmanned spaceflights, this book also incorporated flights of experimental aircraft that led to the space shuttle.

McMahan's catalog is the only U.S. created Space Cover catalog that is still being used today. The new supplement is 8x11 inches in size and contains an extremely comprehensive look at Skylab and the Apollo-Soyuz missions, including Russian covers. This will be an important asset for both collectors and dealers in Astrophilately.

It can be obtained directly from the author for $18.00 postpaid in the US and Canada. Overseas collectors must add $3.00 for postage. Checks or money orders drawn on US banks can be sent to: Jack McMahan, 11106 Wortham Ct, Houston, TX 77065, U.S.A.

Death of Mercury Veteran

Mercury astronaut L. Gordon ("Gordo") Cooper died on 4th October 2004. Cooper flew the last and longest mission in the first US series of manned flights in Faith 7 launched on 15th May 1963, his flight - the last ever US solo one - lasting over 34 hours. He went on to take part in a Gemini mission in August 1965 with Pete Conrad, also now deceased. For some time he was slated as commander of Apollo 13 before crews were switched around. Gordon Cooper was 77 and his death leaves three survivors of the Original 7 - Glenn, Carpenter and Schirra.

Ian Ridpath's New Web Images

Ian has redesigned his astro-stamp pages and put them on a new server at:

http://www.ianridpath.com/stamps/stampindex.htm

He would be very keen for fellow members to view them and comment back to him.

Godfrey Mellor Displays

Our Stockport (Cheshire) based member Godfrey Mellor gave a display to Leeds P.S. on October 12th on "The Apollo Story" and on December 7th he gave a display on "Early Space Developments" to the Oldham P.S.

Astronauts on Show in Britain

Member Robert Atkinson of Preston reports that Gemini 8 and Apollo 9 and Apollo 15 veteran David Scott visited the BAE system site in Warton near Preston on June 18th, the link to the Norht East of England being that Commander Scott's father was commander of BAE Warton during WWII.

ASSS Member Promotes European Get Together

Jurgen Esders, in his role as International Director, Europe, of the ATA Space Uint has organised a meeting of astrophilatelists during a session of the Aerospace G4 exhibition in the Czech town of Vysoke Myto in early October. At the meeting another ASSS member Julius Cacka was due to give a presentation of "Different Types of Russian on board cancels for the joint Soviet-Czech Spaceflight mission of Soyuz 28 and related forgeries."

Congratulations

To ASSS member Charles Bromser from Australia who won a Vermeil Award at the 17th Asian International Stamp Exibition held in Hong Kong - January 30 - February 3, 2004, reports Bert van Eijck. Charles Bromser, a former Dutchman like our reporter, got his vermeil medal in the Literature Class. His exhibition exists of magazines The Asia Pacific Exhibition of which Charles is the editor.

In the Stamp Show were two astrophilatelic exhibitions. With five frames Astronautical History of 16/08/06th class (13-15years) Misheel Dorjkhorfoo from Mongolia got a silver medal as well with his three frames Intercosmos.

New Books to Look out For

The Moonlandings, an Eyewitness Account by Reg Turnill (450 pages, Cambridge Univ Press 2003). Reg Turnill, now in his 80's writes about his experiences covering the American manned space programme from its earliest days through to the Moon Landings and after.

Two Sides of the Moon, by David Scott and Alexei Leonov with Christine Toomey (Simon and Schuster, Published May 2004 @ £19:99). The veteran spacefarers combine to tekk their stories about some of the less publicised aspects of spaceflight in the 1960's and 1970's. Leonov in particular has some "secrets" to reveal about the fate of Yuri Gagarin.

Can you Help John

Our American member John Macco is looking for photocopies of any Orbit numbered #1 to #27 so he can complete his collection. If anyone can help John please write to John at 1212 Holly Avenue, Shady Side, MD 20764-9547, USA.

Interested in Space Cancels?

Click the picture to see a larger image - If you are interested in Space Cancels contact: Marcotem, Apartado numero 155, 48910 Sestao (Vizcaya) Spain. or Email felixpersan@yahoo.es for fuller lists which will be posted to you.

Hebridean Link-up with ISS

Island of Lewis based member Gordon Somerville has sent in press reports of an unusual event when the secondary school at Back (Sgoil a Bhac) became the first Scottish school to have a live link up with spacemen on the International Space Station. This one-in-a-lifetime contact on March 17th 2004 enabled up to twenty pupils, in front of a packed assembly hall, to speak with British born NASA astronaut Commander Michael Foale as the ISS passed over head 237 miles up. This event arose following Michael Foale's visit to the school in 2003.

News of Members

Congratulations to our Junior member Bertie Brown of Neyland, Pembrokeshire who was one of two runners up in the Young Collector category of the 2003 Rowland Hill Awards for Philatelic Achievement.

Astrophilately Less Popular?

An editorial in the March-April issue of Topical Time, the journal of the American Topical Association summarises the results of "What do you collect?" surveys taken in 1962, 1970, 1978 and 2003.

The new "top of the pops" is Plants on Stamps with Animals coming a good second. "Space" comes seventh. Unsurprisingly our speciality was a modest 14th out of 188 topics in the early 60's but in 1970 held the number 1 spot, as indeed it was eight years later.

This may reflect general public disaffection with the space programme or simply the decline (until the Columbia disaster) in space stamps being issued.

Beyond Quaoar

A planetoid three times farther from Earth the Pluto has been discovered by NASA funded scientists at Caltech. Eight billion miles away from Earth, the object in the meantine has been named Sedna after the Inuit goddess of the sea.

Sedna has a very red appearance and is between 800 and 1100 miles in diameter, and is therefore halfway between the size of Pluto and the planetoid Quaoar discovered by the same team in 2002.

The International Astronomy Union are to rethink the system for classifying planets following the discoveries of Quaoar and Sedna and this may well impact on the status of Pluto itself.

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