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| This is an Apollo 12 "Type 1" Insurance Cover (Bishop) from Alan Bean, postmarked at Kennedy Space Center on November 14, 1969, the launch date of Apollo 12. The front is signed by Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean, while the back is handwritten, "INSURANCE COVER FROM MY COLLECTION ALAN BEAN APOLLO 12 LMP." - Heritage Auctions |
Apollo 12, the second U.S. moon landing mission, was launched on November 14, 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean conducted one day and seven hours of activities on the lunar surface, while Command Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon remained in lunar orbit.
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| Photo: The Apollo 12 crew, from left to right: Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean. |
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Apollo 12 "Type 1" Insurance Cover (Bishop) from Charles Conrad's that was originally meant to be flown. Envelope measuring approximately 4 x 6 inches with a color crew emblem cachet and Navy wings. Kennedy Space Center postmark of November 14, 1969, the launch date of Apollo 12. Signed by Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean. Mounted on a typed card signed by Charles Conrad. - Bonhams
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| Photo: Charles Conrad and Alan Bean during a rehearsal for the Apollo 12 lunar mission. |
Shortly after launch on a rainy day at Kennedy Space Center, Apollo 12 was struck by lightning twice, causing instrumentation issues but resulting in little damage. On November 19, Conrad and Bean achieved a precise landing at their target location, just within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 robotic probe, which had landed on April 20, 1967. Their successful pinpoint landing demonstrated that NASA could plan future missions with the expectation that astronauts could land near scientifically significant sites. Conrad and Bean brought along the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, a set of nuclear-powered scientific instruments, as well as the first color television camera taken to the lunar surface by an Apollo mission. However, transmission was lost when Bean accidentally pointed the camera at the Sun, destroying its sensor. During their second moonwalk, they visited Surveyor 3 and removed parts for return to Earth. The Lunar Module Intrepid lifted off from the Moon on November 20 and docked with the command module, which then began its journey back to Earth. The Apollo 12 mission concluded with a successful splashdown on November 24.
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| Photo: Alan Bean, the lunar module pilot for the Apollo 12 mission, outlined the experiments the crew would perform on the moon during a press conference on October 3, 1969.
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| Photo: The Apollo 12 crew—Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean—enjoy breakfast before suiting up for their spaceflight on November 14, 1969. |
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| A cover featuring an official Apollo 12 NASA cachet, hand-cancelled at Kennedy Space Center on November 14, 1969. |
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| Photo: Charles Conrad waves while leading the Apollo 12 crew to the van that will transport them to the launch pad on November 14, 1969. |
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| An Apollo 12 commemorative cover from the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Stamp Club, cancelled on launch day at Kennedy Space Center, November 14, 1969, and signed by Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean. - RegencyStamps |
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| Photo: The crew from the upcoming Apollo 13 mission—Ken Mattingly, Fred Haise, and Jim Lovell—watching the Apollo 12 moon landing from Mission Control in Houston. |
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| Apollo 12 launch cover by SpaceCraft Swanson, postmarked at Cape Canaveral on November 14, 1969.
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| Photo: This composite image highlights the Apollo 12 landing site on the Moon for November 19, alongside the location where Apollo 11 touched down in July. The success of the Apollo 12 crew in landing within walking distance of a 636-foot-wide crater is crucial, as future missions are slated for even more challenging landing zones. (Note: Contrary to the caption, only five Apollo missions followed Apollo 12, not eight.) |
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| Top: Apollo 12 moon landing cover from SpaceCraft Swanson, postmarked at Cape Canaveral on November 19, 1969. Bottom: A NASA local post cover cancelled on the day of the moon landing in Houston, November 19, 1969. |
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| Photo: An image of the Apollo 12 landing site, located in the Ocean of Storms on the moon's western side. |
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| A cover created from a segment of the Apollo mission tracking chart, postmarked in Houston on November 19, 1969, the day of the moon landing.
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| An Apollo 12 commemorative cover issued by The Manned Spaceflight Cover Society, postmarked on the day of the moon landing, November 19, 1969. Signed by Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean. |
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| Photo: An Apollo 12 astronaut is photographed walking on the moon's surface during an EVA (extravehicular activity). |
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| Following the planting of a U.S. flag on the Moon, Conrad and Bean spent a significant portion of their first EVA setting up the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP). This EVA lasted for 3 hours, 56 minutes, and 3 seconds. |
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| Apollo 12 lunar module touched down just 600 feet away from Surveyor 3. |
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| Photo: An Apollo 12 astronaut examines Surveyor 3, which landed on the Moon's surface on April 20, 1967. |
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| Pete Conrad preparing the equipment for the "ALSEP" package experiments to be left on the Moon. |
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| The Apollo 12 lunar module, Intrepid, ascended from the Moon on November 20, 1969, leaving its descent stage behind as intended. |
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| Intrepid entered orbit to rendezvous with the command module, Yankee Clipper. |
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| Photo: Commander Charles Conrad aboard the command module on the return journey to Earth after docking with Alan Bean. This image was released to the press a few days following the Apollo 12 crew's return. |
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| USS Hornet served as the prime recovery ship for Apollo 12. Top: A postcard featuring the USS Hornet carrier on the front, with a Beck rubber-stamped cachet on the back, hand-cancelled aboard the ship on November 24, 1969. Bottom: A cover featuring an Ekas stamped cachet, postmarked with a machine cancel from the USS Hornet. |
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| Apollo 12 splashed down close to American Samoa. The cover above is postmarked with a machine cancel from the USS Hornet. |
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| Apollo 12 Captain's cover from the USS Hornet, accompanied by a typed letter from Captain Carl J. Seiberlich, who also signed the cover. |
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| Apollo 12 cover featuring a printed cachet from the "NASA Recovery Team," signed by Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon, and Alan Bean. |
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| Apollo 12 cover featuring a printed cachet from the "Recovery Team," along with a Beck rubber-stamped cachet. |
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| Apollo 12 cover from the USS Hornet recovery ship, featuring a Beck rubber-stamped cachet and a hand-painted cachet created by artist Detlev Van Ravenswaay.
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| Photo: The Apollo 12 crew conversing with President Nixon while in their quarantine station on the USS Hornet. |
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| Apollo 12 recovery ship cover from the USS Hornet featuring a Beck rubber stamped cachet. It is signed by Captain Carl J. Seiberlich, helicopter recovery pilot Commander Warren E. Aut, astronauts Richard Gordon, Charles Conrad, and Alan Bean, as well as NASA recovery team leader John C. Storesifer. |
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| A Beck printed cachet cover B821 featuring a machine cancel from the USS Hornet, signed by helicopter recovery pilot Commander Warren E. Aut and Captain Carl J. Seiberlich. |
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| An Apollo 12 recovery ship cover from the USS Hornet featuring a stick-on United States Navy (USN) emblem label. This hand cancel is a variant that does not include the AM time slug. |
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Photo: The Apollo 12 crew in their quarantine station holds up a "BEAT ARMY" sign in the window. The sign is a playful reference to the longstanding rivalry between the United States Military Academy (Army) and the United States Naval Academy (Navy). This rivalry is particularly highlighted during the annual Army-Navy football game. The sign reflects the spirit and camaraderie among the Apollo 12 crew, who were all former naval officers, and their support for the Navy in this competitive context.
Desert Sun, Volume 43, Number 100, 28 November 1969 |
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| Apollo 12 USS Hornet recovery ship covers featuring a hand cancel that does not include the AM time slug. The cachet is a stunning hand-painted piece created by Alec Bartos, the Romanian Astrophilately Chairman, visual artist, and stamp designer. |
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| Apollo 12 USS Hornet recovery ship cover featuring both machine and hand cancels from the USS Hornet. It is signed by Captain Carl J. Seiberlich and Commander V. E. Sprudley. The hand cancel includes a variation with the AM time slug positioned above the year 1969. |
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| A Beck rubber-stamped cachet cover featuring the Apollo 11 recovery date of July 24, 1969, which is machine cancelled on the USS Hornet, along with the Apollo 12 recovery date of November 24, 1969, which is hand cancelled from the same ship. |
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Apollo 12 Flown crew-signed cover directly from the family collection of Apollo 12 Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon, signed and certified. The cover bears the mission insignia with Navy wings by Bishop, the 6¢ flag stamp cancelled at Houston on December 10, 1969 (the day the crew left quarantine). It is boldly signed in black felt tip: "Charles Conrad Jr", "Dick Gordon", and "Alan L Bean". Gordon has written "Flown To The Moon RG" at top left, and "4 of 87" at bottom left. He has certified on the verso: "This envelope was flown/ to the moon on Apollo 15/ Richard F. Gordon Jr". This flown cover comes with a printed card that match the cover with the text: "The Accompanying Cover/ is # 4 of 87/ Carried to the Moon." It is signed and dated: "Richard F. Gordon Jr/ 9-20-80". A description of the Apollo 12 mission is printed at the back of the card.
This is one of the lesser-known stories related to philately from the Apollo missions. Richard Gordon had prepared eighty-seven mission insignia covers, similar to the Type I insurance covers, to take with him on the flight, but they were ultimately left behind. As a personal favor to Gordon, the backup commander for Apollo 15, Jim Irwin volunteered to carry them to the Moon on Apollo 15. Consequently, they were able to reach the Moon and return.
- Heritage Auctions. |
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| Photo: The Apollo 12 crew and their wives visited former President and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson at their ranch in Texas on January 14, 1970. |
(Reference from
Apollo 12)
