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Sale 118
Lot 978
STS-51-A to STS-61-C Crew Signed Photos and Covers 34 Signed Pieces, 120+ Signatures, Including Ellison Onizuka & Mike Smith. NASA flew a number of Space Shuttle missions in the early and mid-1980s with designations derived from STS-41. The ambiguity was the result of a NASA decision to change designation of missions starting in Fiscal Year 1984 and to accommodate a dramatically increased launch manifest. Previously, missions were designated in the order they were flown. The difference in mission numbers and the years flown gets confusing because NASA returned to numbering missions in the order flown in 1988.
This lot collection centers around Challenger Flight STS-51-L and how it impacted the Shuttle Program
STS-51-A (Crew signed photo and cover), STS-51-B (Crew signed cover), STS-51-C (Two crew signed covers one is complete the other having only three. Only one has Ken Mattingly who flew on Apollo 16, but both have Ellison Onizuka, the first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space who perished on STS-51-L when Challenger disintegrated on takeoff.) STS-51-D (One full crew signed photo and one with only four of the seven, plus a full crew signed photo and one with only two astronauts signing) STS-51-F (Crew signed cover) STS-51-G (Crew signed photo and cover) STS-51-H crew signed cover which never flew as it was canceled due to technical difficulties and includes Michael J. Smith who was pilot aboard STS-51-L (ultimately his first flight) which disintegrated on takeoff. STS-51-I (One full crew signed cover and one with only thee astronauts) STS-51-J (Crew signed photo, full crew signed commemorative cover of the flight, then 5 covers each individually signed by a crew member) STS-51-L (NASA portrait of full crew unsigned) STS-61-A Holds the record for the most passengers to space (7 covers each individually signed save for one cover having two for a total of 8) STS-61-B (Crew signed photo and cover marking Shuttle Atlantis last flight into space for almost 3 years after Challenger disaster.), STS-61-C (Crew signed photo and cover, this was the last Shuttle to fly before the Challenger disaster). Estimated Value $1,000 - UP
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