STS-41D Discovery Maiden Flight Cover Signed by Astronaut G. David Low View Watchlist >
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Lot # Nasa8
System ID # 29423729
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STS-41D Discovery Maiden Flight Cover Signed by Astronaut G. David Low — Grumman "Builder of the Shuttle Wing," 1984
A commemorative airmail cover marking the maiden flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-41D, issued by Grumman Aerospace Corp. of Bethpage, New York — the contractor that built the shuttle's wings. The face carries Grumman's purple cachets reading "BUILDER OF THE SHUTTLE WING" and a bold maroon "MAIDEN FLIGHT OF DISCOVERY STS-41D" stamp, franked with the 20¢ Philo T. Farnsworth "First Television Camera" stamp and tied by a Bethpage, N.Y. USPO June 26, 1984 circular postmark — two months before Discovery's August 30 launch.
The cover is hand-signed in blue ballpoint by G. David Low, who inscribed "SPACE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT" beneath the signature. Low — selected into NASA's 1984 astronaut class the same month this cover was postmarked — was not a crew member on STS-41D; he would go on to fly three shuttle missions beginning with STS-32 in 1990. His father, James Low, was a senior executive at Grumman Bethpage, making the signing entirely coherent: these covers circulated within Grumman's own aerospace community during the pre-launch period. The reverse is a blank airmail envelope with no additional markings.
Provenance
Issued by Grumman Aerospace Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., and postmarked at the Bethpage USPO on June 26, 1984 — prior to Discovery's maiden launch on August 30, 1984. Signed by G. David Low in the context of his selection into the 1984 NASA astronaut class and his family's direct connection to the Grumman Bethpage facility.
Authenticity
A Certificate of Authenticity will be issued by Mesilla Valley Estate Sales with this lot.
CONDITION
Very Good. Clean and crisp with bright cachets and a sharp postmark; the autograph is strong and unfaded. Minor handling only, with no creasing, staining, or toning of note.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Cover: 3 5/8" × 6 1/2"
- Postmark: Bethpage, N.Y. USPO, June 26, 1984
- Franking: 20¢ Philo T. Farnsworth "First Television Camera" stamp
- Signed in blue ballpoint by G. David Low, inscribed "Space Shuttle Astronaut"
- Certificate of Authenticity included
