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Auction Name: 2025 September 27 Space Exploration Showcase Auction
Lot Number: 71027
Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/33169*71027
Gemini 11: Crew-Signed Launch Cover [and] U.S.S. Guam Recovery Cover. A pair of commemorative philatelic covers honoring the Gemini 11 mission, each signed by both mission astronauts: "Charles Conrad Jr" and "Dick Gordon". As follows.
Launch: A philatelic cover with a colorful SpaceCraft cachet by Swanson bearing two vintage 3¢ "Palomar Mountain Observatory" stamps, canceled at Cape Canaveral on September 12, 1966. Signed as above. Original informative stiffener card included. Tiny address. Excellent.
Splashdown: A philatelic cover with a colorful printed (not stamped) "U.S. NAVY Recovery Force" cachet bearing a 5¢ "Flag" stamp, hand canceled aboard the "Guam" on September 15, 1966. Signed as above. Unaddressed. Excellent. In addition, the cover is signed in various inks by three key members of the recovery team, including:
Rear Admiral Roy G. Anderson, Commander of Recovery Force Atlantic for Gemini 11; veteran surface warfare officer and logistics leader; later commanded Service Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
Captain Stephen T. De La Mater, Commanding Officer of USS Guam during Gemini 11 recovery; naval aviator with prior command of VF-92 and staff roles in carrier operations.
Lieutenant Arthur G. Doege, Recovery helicopter pilot aboard USS Guam for Gemini 11; directly retrieved astronauts from splashdown site in the Atlantic.
NASA's Gemini 11 mission was pivotal in demonstrating advanced rendezvous and docking techniques critical for the upcoming Apollo lunar missions. It set a new altitude record for crewed Earth orbit, reaching nearly 850 miles, proving the feasibility of high-altitude missions and extended operations in space. Additionally, Gemini 11 tested crucial extravehicular activities (EVAs) and tethered station-keeping maneuvers, laying the groundwork for future spacecraft docking and maneuvering technologies. From the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke.
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