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Auction Name: 2025 September 27 Space Exploration Showcase Auction
Lot Number: 71023
Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/33169*71023
Gemini 7: Crew-Signed Launch Cover [and] U.S.S. Wasp Recovery Cover also Signed by Ship's Executive and Commanding Officers, and Helicopter Pilot. Each cover is signed by both mission astronauts: "James Lovell" and "Frank Borman". As follows.
Launch: A philatelic cover with a colorful SpaceCraft cachet by Swanson, Scott #U546 World's Fair New York 5¢ stamped envelope double machine-canceled at Patrick Air Force Base on December 4, 1965. Signed as above. Tiny address. Excellent.
Splashdown: A desirable philatelic "Captain's Cover" with a bold cachet for this mission bearing a 5¢ definitive "George Washington" stamp nicely hand-canceled onboard the actual recovery ship, the U.S.S. Wasp on December 18, 1965. Signed as above. Unaddressed. Excellent. In addition, the cover is signed in various inks by three key members of the recovery team, including:
Captain Gordon E. Hartley was the Commanding Officer of the Wasp (CVS-18) during 1965, overseeing operations including the recovery of Gemini spacecraft and leading the ship through its antisubmarine warfare and NASA support roles.
Commander J. Wondergram was the Wasp's Executive Officer for Gemini 7 and had previously piloted the helicopter that recovered astronaut Scott Carpenter during Project Mercury; he directed carrier operations for multiple Gemini missions.
Commander N. H. McLaughlin served aboard the USS Wasp as a senior officer and was the recovery helicopter pilot who picked up the crew and transported them to the ship.
Gemini 7, launched in December 1965, was a pivotal mission that demonstrated the feasibility of long-duration spaceflight, spending nearly 14 days in orbit, a critical benchmark for future Apollo missions. Commanded by Frank Borman with pilot James Lovell, the mission also served as the passive target for the first-ever space rendezvous with Gemini 6A, proving precise orbital navigation and station-keeping. Its success validated life-support systems, crew endurance, and complex in-orbit operations, laying essential groundwork for extended lunar missions. From the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke.
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