Space Shuttle Challenger Flown Cover
The US Post Office and NASA together announced the plan to produce covers that would travel aboard the Challenger space shuttle during the STS-8 mission. The STS-8 designation represents the eighth mission of the Space Transportation System (STS), or space shuttle program. It was the Challenger’s third flight. This cover features three postmarks. The August 14, 1983, date on the center postmark is the date the Challenger was originally scheduled to fly. The August 30 date is when it actually launched, and the September 5 date is when it landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The $9.35 postage stamp is for express mail. After the mission, the covers were placed in souvenir folders and sold by the US Post Office.
Postmarked: Kennedy Space Center, Florida; Edwards Air Force Base, California
Postmark dates: August 14, 1983; August 30, 1983; September 5, 1983
Acc. no. 95M.043.001
