Joseph P. Allen Signed STS-5 Columbia Crew Cover — Nov. 12, 1982 View Watchlist >
Seller Accepts Credit Cards
Payment and pickup instructions will be available on your invoice (under "My Account") at the conclusion of this auction.
Pickup
$0.00
($0.00 as additional item)
Signature Confirmed Shipping
$12.90
($12.90 as additional item)
Lot # Nasa110Z10
System ID # 29528637
Start Date
End Date
0 Watching
Joseph P. Allen Signed STS-5 Columbia Crew Cover — Salt Lake City Postmark, Nov. 12, 1982
November 11, 1982. Space Shuttle Columbia touches down at Edwards Air Force Base, ending STS-5 — the first fully operational shuttle mission, the first to carry a four-person crew, and the first commercial payload deployment flight in shuttle history. The next morning, this envelope was postmarked in Salt Lake City. Someone had been waiting.
The cover originates from the Hansen Planetarium, 15 South State Street, Salt Lake City — one of the great public astronomy institutions of the American West, which routinely sponsored mission commemorative covers for its community programs. The violet STS-5 Columbia cachet lists the full crew in period typography: CDR Vance D. Brand, Pilot Robert F. Overmyer, and mission specialists Joseph P. Allen and William B. Lenoir. Franked with a 20¢ Flag Over Supreme Court stamp and machine-canceled 12 NOV 1982, the cover is signed boldly in black ink — "Joe Allen" — across the open center field in a confident, expansive hand.
Why Joe Allen
Joseph P. Allen is one of the more intellectually singular figures in the astronaut corps. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Yale, spent years as a NASA scientific liaison before earning his flight slot, and flew STS-5 as one of the first mission specialists in the program's operational era. Two years later, on STS-51-A in 1984, he performed two of the most dramatic spacewalks in shuttle history — conducting the first untethered satellite retrieval missions, physically chasing down the disabled Palapa B-2 and Westar 6 satellites with a Manned Maneuvering Unit and hand-catching them in open space. The footage remains some of the most arresting imagery from the shuttle era. Allen went on to lead the Space Industries International venture and remained a prominent voice in the case for commercial space development. His signature on a cover tied to the mission that launched his flight career carries that full arc with it.
Provenance & Authentication
Offered with a Certificate of Authenticity from Mesilla Valley Estate Sales. The cover is offered as obtained, with the dated Hansen Planetarium postmark, mission-specific cachet, and crew context supporting the association.
CONDITION
Very Good. The cover is clean and bright with a crisp cachet impression and a strong, fully legible signature. Minor light toning near the printed return address at upper left and faint handling marks consistent with age; the machine postmark runs partially light over the stamp area. Verso carries a small green-ink notation and is otherwise clean.
DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS
- Cover: 3 5/8" × 6 1/2"
- Postmark: Salt Lake City, UT — 12 NOV 1982
- Stamp: 20¢ Flag Over Supreme Court
- Cachet: STS-5 Columbia, violet ink — full crew listed
- Signature: Joseph P. Allen ("Joe Allen"), black ink, face
- Issuing Institution: Hansen Planetarium, Salt Lake City, UT
- COA: Mesilla Valley Estate Sales
