LOT #71011 |
Current Bid: $80
Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7): John Glenn Signed U.S.S. Noa
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Description
Mercury-Atlas 6 (Friendship 7): John Glenn Signed U.S.S. Noa Recovery Cover. A philatelic cover featuring a large colorful official ship's cachet bearing a 4¢ "Project Mercury" stamp hand-canceled aboard the actual recovery ship (see below), the U.S.S. Noa on February 20,1962. Signed in blue ballpoint: "J H Glenn Jr". Text printed at bottom reads: "This commemorative cover was a part of the first mail dispatch from the destroyer U.S.S. Noa following recovery of U.S. astronaut Lt. Col. John H. Glenn, Jr., USMC, and Mercury space capsule 'Friendship Seven.'" Unaddressed. Excellent. Included, for purposes of display or matting, is a glossy color print of Glenn relaxing on the ship's deck.Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6), also known as Friendship 7, launched on February 20, 1962, and was the first American crewed orbital spaceflight, piloted by astronaut John Glenn. The mission made three orbits around Earth in just under five hours, during which Glenn observed his reactions to weightlessness and the space environment, and NASA gathered critical data on human performance in space. The flight encountered suspenseful moments, notably concerns about the heat shield, but Friendship 7 ultimately splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean near Grand Turk Island. Although the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CVS-15) was designated as the prime recovery ship, the destroyer USS Noa (DD-841) was actually the first to retrieve Glenn and his spacecraft from the water due to its proximity to the landing site. This mission was a pivotal milestone, making Glenn the first American to orbit Earth and restoring national confidence in the U.S. space program. From the Family Collection of Jacques Bracke.
Auction Info
2025 September 27 Space Exploration Showcase Auction #33169 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
September
27th
Saturday
9:50 am CT
Auction Dates
September
27th
Saturday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
10 Days
3h 48m 39s
Internet/Mail Bids: 3
Lot Tracking Activity: 15
Page Views: 77
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid (minimum $29) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
Space Session
(Lots 71001-71528) - 10:00 AM Central Time, Saturday, September 27, 2025.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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