THE ROCKET MAIL PAGE, PART 2
By Paul A. Roales
Updated: March 1, 2010 Return to the opening Rocket Mail page here.
NEWS
(Added March 1, 2010) 2009'S LAST FLIGHT AND UPDATES
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: THE BERNIE, MO LAUNCH LAST YEAR.
As promised last month I have received examples of the rocket mail that Major Sandy Warwick (retired) who lives here in Tulsa flew on Nov. 23, 2009. She says: "One set was flown on my new rocket that carried a parasite glider which carried the post cards. The second one is the same except it was flown and recovered by the glider at night." Each set consisted of 10 cards.They are pictured below. The other side of both postcards pictures the Tulsa skyline at night. The same card was used on some of Sandy's previous launches.
ITEM 2: LAST YEAR'S FLIGHTS.
As I do every year I have compiled a list of last year's rocket mail flights which I will expand into an article for THE ASTROPHILE magazine. I thought I would post it here first. If you know of any flights I have missed I would appreciate hearing from you.
GMÜNDNER WELTRAUMFREUNDE
Jan 30 AUSTRIA
Feb 6 AUSTRIA
March 23 AUSTRIA
May 9 SWITZERLAND
May 23 CZECH REPUBLIC
Aug 15 AUSTRIA
Nov 9 SWITZERLAND
Ralf Schulz
May 13 GERMANY
Darin Jackson PUFFIN ISLAND ENGLAND
May 12
June 6
July 7
Aug 4
Sept 1
Oct 7
Jim Roth
April 18 COLORADO USA
Oct. 4 COLORADO USA
Oct 24 COLORADO USA
Sandy Warwick
May 16 MISSOURI USA
Nov 23 MISSOURI USA
ITEM 3: THE TULSA ROCKET RACING DEMONSTRATION.
As I mentioned last month the Rocket Racing League is having their first "Demonstration" race in Tulsa. The date has changed from what I previously reported. It is now scheduled for April 24.
REMINDER.
This page depends upon your information to prosper. Please contact me if you have any rocket mail information or news.
(Added Jan. 31, 2010) 2009'S LAST FLIGHTS
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: MISSED LAST MONTH.
Sorry I missed posting a report last month. I went home to Indiana for Christmas and did not return until after New Year.
ITEM 2: SWITZERLAND'S LAST 2009 ROCKET MAIL LAUNCH.
The last rocket mail launch of 2009 by the GMÜNDER WELTRAUIMFREUNDE group was in Switzerland. Miri Matejka tells me: "Last news for this year from the GMÜNDER WELTRAUIMFREUNDE. We launched our mail rocket "AUSTRO MR-3 "on November 9, 2009 with a lot of interesting covers, such as "In memoriam 50 years LUNIK II and LUNIK III", from "Cape Kaltbrunn" in Swiss. From each event a lot of different covers were flown. In total 250 covers were flown and successfully recovered. Some of them will be sold on EBay in 2010."
Two of those covers are shown below.
ITEM 3: AN OKLAHOMA LAUNCH IN DEC. 2009.
Major Sandy Warwick (retired) who lives here in Tulsa flew some rocket
mail in December, 2009. I have not seen them yet but have been promised a
set. She says: "One card was flown on my new rocket that carried a parasite glider which
carried the post cards. The second one is the same except it was flown and
recovered by the glider at night." Hopefully I will be able to picture these with more information in next month's column.
ITEM 4: NOTES ON JIM ROTH's OCT 24 FLIGHT.
Jim Roth tells me that the 10 covers he flew on Oct. 24 which landed on the school roof (see entry below) were lost. So there are only 10 covers flown on that date, all signed by Homer Hickum.
ITEM 5: AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
I got a flyer from the Tulsa Air & Space Museum (I am a member) announcing some of the events they have planned for 2010. One of the items
is a air show with "the world's first rocket race". That is scheduled for
March, 2010. I assume that is the Rocket Racing League that has been trying
to get organized for over a year now. No word on if any of the planes will carry any mail.
ITEM 6: THE NOV/DEC, 2008 ASTROPHILE.
The Nov./Dec.2008 issue of THE ASTROPHILE has been published. It contains two rocket mail articles: THE FIRST FLOWN SPACE MAIL by Dr. Reuben Ramkissoon and ANNUAL REVIEW OF WORLD ROCKET MAIL FLIGHTS 2008 by myself.
(Added Nov. 1, 2009) 2009 JIM ROTH'S ROCKET MAIL
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: JIM'S APRIL FLIGHT.
Jim Roth has brought me up to date on his rocket mail activity this year. He says: "First was the Cheyenne Mountain Student launch Initiative. The cover was flown on April 18, 2009 in Huntsville, 30 were made, 20 were kept by the Cheyenne Mountain group, I only got 10 of them and have only two left for other rocket mail collectors. These local kids sponsored by COSROCS won regionals and participated in the SLI event in Huntsville, Alabama. This cover is in the mini-sized format."
That cover is shown on the right.
ITEM 2: JIM'S OCTOBER FLIGHTS.
Jim launched 2 rocket mail flight in Colorado Springs, CO in October. He says: "I successfully made two rocket mail launches today (October 4), 10 full sized covers per launch for for a total of 20 covers to commemorate the start of World Space Week, which goes from October 4-10. I only flew this cover, in two flights, ten covers per flight on October 4. Weather prevented flying the second item I had planned to close out the week."
Then later:
"I was able to launch mail on the 24th. I sent two flights up with the same cover, 10 in each flight. I was able to recover only one of the flights on the 24th, and I am still waiting to see if the second flight was retrieved from the roof of the school building. Since I only had the first half, they were the only 10 that were autographed by Homer Hickam, author of "Rocket Boys', which was made into a movie, "October Sky"."
Those two covers are shown below. If you eant to contact Jim to see if he has any covers available for purchase his email address is rothgrafix@comcast.net
(Added Sept. 30, 2009) 2009 PUFFIN ISLAND ROCKET MAIL
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: LATEST NEWS FROM PUFFIN ISLAND.
On September 9 I heard from Postmaster Darin Jackson about the 2009 Puffin Island UK rocket mail flights. He says:
"Sorry it has taken a while to send the Puffin Island rocket post update for 2009 but with this new computer and all my other issues I really haven't had the time. I have attached
pictures of all the stamps and overprints used this year and a scan of one of the special First Flight/Zucker Anniversary cards as well.
I will begin with the normal Rocket Post stamp number P60 which shows nesting Puffins on the island with the new rocket flying overhead. Only 350 stamps were produced for regular flights between the island and the British Mainland at Lower Mucking.
On the 12th of May 2009 we had our first Test Firing of the new JZ V Mk 4 and 40 stamps were overprinted in black with the words TEST FIRING.Twenty were used on the special cards and 20 remained U/M for collectors to buy.This stamp is numbered P60oa.No cards were sold but given away to friends and regular collectors of Puffin Island stamps.The Test Firing went well and the rocket performed brilliantly and at last we seem to have a rocket that goes exactly where we want it to go instead of veering of in one direction or another.
On the 6th of June 2009 we had our first official flight with the same stamp this time overprinted FIRST FLIGHT in black.Eighty stamps were overprinted,30 for use on the special cards and 50 U/M for collectors.This stamp is numbered P60ob.
The special First Flight card also commemorates Gerhard Zucker's first rocket post experiment at Rottingdean,Sussex which took place exactly 75 years ago to the day.His relative Otto signed the first 10 cards,the rest were signed by good self.A special imperf label based on one of the original stamps used for flights in the UK was also produced and added to each card.Only 100 were issued and this label was numbered PL03.
Lastly two of my original 2007 definitive stamps were reprinted and overprinted with ZUCKER 75TH ANNIV.They were the 2nd class stamp now numbered P28oa and the 1st Class now numbered P29oa.Again only 100 of each were overprinted.
We had an early launch at 07.30 as both Otto and myself had to go to The Derby at Epsom the same day. We even had the winner of the big race.
Otto has been staying on the island all summer and has been on hand at every launch this year.I was away watching my beloved Puffins when our third launch took place on Tuesday 7th of July but I returned for our further two launches in August and September.One more is planned in October and possibly one in November,weather permitting.
A new catalogue will be issued in 2010 and I will send scans of all rocket material.This Rocket Post stamp will last until 2011 as I only produce one stamp every two years.Any questions please contact me.
Nice to view your rocket post website at last and I hope you will add this informationPlease include my email address if anyone wants to contact me."
Darin Jackson can be contacted at 13 Bentworth Court, Granby Street, Bethnal Green, London E2 6DN, Uk. or via email at puffinea@hotmail.com His stamps are shown on the left above and the special First Flight/Zucker Anniversary card is shown directly above.
ITEM 2: LATEST ASTROPHILE ARTICLE.
The Sept-Oct., 2008 issue of THE ASTROPHILE contains my article on the CSXT rocket mail flight into space on page 230. That is the only rocket mail article in the issue.
(Added Sept. 1, 2009) A NEW COUNTRY AND WW2 PLANS.
By Paul A. Roales and Others.
ITEM 1: A NEW COUNTRY LAUNCHES ROCKET MAIL.
On Aug 15, 2009 I got news of a Czech Republic launch from Miri Matejka. He says:
"Good news. First rocket launch in CZECH Republik on May 23, 2009. On Airport Vysoke Myto, the GMÜNDER WELTRAUMFREUNDE had the possibility to launch some postal-rocket with different covers. Launch-master, Cosmonaut Vladimir Remek signed a lot of covers in presence of hundrets of interesting visitors. This was the first model rocket launch in Czech Republik ever. Covers will be sold on ebay in November 2009. From each Type 100 covers were made. Able-Baker Covers sticked with stamps in advance. 50 were put in rocket to fly on May 23, 2009 - but rocket-motor exploded, cancelled after explosion on May 28, 2009. 50 - now cancelled May 28, 2009 are prepared to fly in November 2009."
The 4 different covers are shown below.
ITEM 2: WW2 ROCKET MAIL & STAR WARS.
From the December 20, 1944 issue of STARS & STRIPES newspaper on page 6. "Mail Via Rockets. In the rocket world, astounding developments are foreseen. Dr. F. K. Teichmann, chairman of the Aeronautical Engineering Dept. of New York University, predicts that mail will be delivered by rockets, and that it will take only three minutes for the robots to travel from Chicago to New York -- a distance of 711 air-miles.
Just where these rocket mail couriers will land seems to pose the biggest headache at present, but Dr. Teichmann claims that this difficulty will be overcome by means of expertly-designed launching platforms, spiffy automatic pilots and radiobeam controls.
Dr. Teichmann claims also that the rocket bomb will prove useless as a weapon of war in future years, because of the defence measures which can be worked out to stop it."
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