Vance Brand–Signed STS-5 Columbia Launch, Kennedy Space Center — Nov. 11, 1982 View Watchlist >
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Lot # Nasa110E
System ID # 29519823
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Vance Brand–Signed STS-5 Columbia Launch, Kennedy Space Center — Nov. 11, 1982
On November 11, 1982, the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on its fifth mission — and its first as a working spacecraft rather than a test vehicle. No more shakedown runs. STS-5 was the real thing: two commercial satellites in the payload bay, four astronauts on the flight deck, and a program that had just grown up. Mission commander Vance Brand signed this first-day launch cover in bold black felt-tip on the day of the flight — the cachet still crisp, the Kennedy Space Center cancel still sharp, the moment still legible more than forty years later.
This is a standard airmail launch cover with a green cachet recording the mission highlights — the SBS-C and Anik C-3 satellite deployments, the first four-man crew — franked with a 20¢ U.S. flag stamp and cancelled with the "Space Shuttle / For Benefits on Earth / NASA" slogan meter. A small green "K5" notation appears on the reverse flap. The signature is the object. Brand commanded two shuttle missions and was one of the backup crew for Apollo 13; his name belongs in the same sentence as the people who built the program. A cover like this one is as close as most of us will ever get to that launch day.
Authenticity
The signature has been examined and confirmed by the house. A Certificate of Authenticity from Mesilla Valley Estate Sales will be issued with this lot.
CONDITION
Very Good. Cachet and cancellation are crisp; stamp is well affixed with sound perforations. Signature is bold and legible throughout. Light handling only; envelope flat with no tears or staining.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- 3 5/8" × 6 1/2"
- Mission: STS-5, Columbia OV-102
- Cancellation: Kennedy Space Center, FL — Nov. 11, 1982
- Franking: 20¢ USA flag stamp
- Signature: Vance Brand (mission commander)
- Certificate of Authenticity: Mesilla Valley Estate Sales — included
