Echoes-From-Apollo: Shuttle

Shuttle

October 25, 2017

R.I.P. Commander Paul Weitz-
Space Shuttle Challenger-
Mission STS-6-
Flown Cue Cards

Commander Paul Weitz passed away on
October 23rd, 2017.

He will be missed.

Here are my two STS-6 flown cue cards signed/inscribed by Mission Commander Weitz. STS-6, the first Challenger mission, lifted off at 1:30 P.M. EST on April 4th 1983. It marked the first use of a new lightweight external tank and lightweight SRB casings. STS-6 carried a crew of four – Commander Weitz; Pilot Karol J. Bobko; and Mission Specialists Donald H. Peterson and Story Musgrave. Using new spacesuits designed specifically for the Space Shuttle program, Peterson and Musgrave successfully accomplished the program's first extravehicular activity (EVA), performing various tests in the orbiter's payload bay. Their spacewalk lasted 4 hours and 17 minutes. Challenger returned to Earth at 10:53 A.M. PST on April 9th 1983, landing on Runway 22 at Edwards AFB. During the mission, it completed 80 orbits, traveling 2 million miles (as did these cue cards!) in 5 days, 23 minutes and 42 seconds. It was flown back to KSC on 16 April 1983.

On January 28, 1986, Challenger exploded 73 seconds into Mission STS-51-L, killing all seven of it's crew members.

IMG_0978bbbb

STS-6 Crew.
Commander Weitz is seated middle.

Commander Weitz, myself, and both cue cards.
Spacefest IV, June 2012.

IMG_0978bbbb

Posted at 08:04 in Shuttle | Permalink | Comments (0)

Space Shuttle Challenger
Mission STS-6
Flown Cue Cards

Here are my two STS-6 flown cue cards signed/inscribed by Mission Commander Paul Weitz.

STS-6, the first Challenger mission, lifted off at 1:30 P.M. EST on April 4th 1983. It marked the first use of a new lightweight external tank and lightweight SRB casings. STS-6 carried a crew of four – Commander Paul J. Weitz; Pilot Karol J. Bobko; and Mission Specialists Donald H. Peterson and Story Musgrave. Using new spacesuits designed specifically for the Space Shuttle program, Peterson and Musgrave successfully accomplished the program's first extravehicular activity (EVA), performing various tests in the orbiter's payload bay. Their spacewalk lasted 4 hours and 17 minutes. Challenger returned to Earth at 10:53 A.M. PST on April 9th 1983, landing on Runway 22 at Edwards AFB. During the mission, it completed 80 orbits, traveling 2 million miles (as did these cue cards!) in 5 days, 23 minutes and 42 seconds. It was flown back to KSC on 16 April 1983.

On January 28, 1986, Challenger exploded 73 seconds into Mission STS-51-L, killing all seven of it's crew members.

FRONT A

BACK A

FRONT B

BACK B

COA

Picture of myself and Weitz with the cue cards.
June 2012 Spacefest IV.

STS-6 Crew.
Commander Weitz seated middle.

STS-6 Launch

STS-6 Landing

STS-6 Logo

Posted at 08:03 in Shuttle | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 09, 2015

Vintage Mail Cover
NASA's First Female Astronauts
Signed By All Six!

About two years ago I obtained this 'NASA names 35 New Space Shuttle Astronauts' mail cover postmarked January 16, 1978 Houston TX. This group of 35 included America's first six female astronauts! When I obtained this cover it had already been signed by five of the six. The only signature it did not have was Rhea Seddons'. As you can see, it now has the signatures of all six of NASA's first female astronauts: Kathryn D. Sullivan, Sally Ride, Anna Lee Fisher, Judith A. Resnik, Shannon Lucid, and last, but not least, Rhea Seddon!

Thanks to the efforts of a fellow collector, Seddon signed the item at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundations' 'Astronaut Autograph and Memorabilia Show' November 2014. The below picture shows her holding the item after signing!

According to the collector who obtained Seddons' signature for me, she was excited to see this item and immediately recognized the significance of the postmark date on the cover!

Posted at 11:49 in Mail Covers, Shuttle | Permalink | Comments (0)