APOLLO RECOVERY SHIP COVER & POSTMARK VARIETIES

Apollo AS-201 - 26 February 1966
Apollo AS-203 (No recovery planned) - 5 July 1966 - No Recovery Force
Apollo AS-202 - 25 August 1966
Apollo AS-204 (Apollo 1 Fire) - 27 January 1967
Apollo 4 (AS-501) - 9 November 1967
Apollo 5 (AS-204) - 22 January 1968
Apollo 6 (AS-502) - 4 April 1968
Apollo 7 (AS-205) - 22 October 1968
Apollo 8 (AS-503) - 27 December 1968
Apollo 9 (AS-504) - 13 March 1969
Apollo 10 (AS-505) - 26 May 1969
Apollo 11 (AS-506) - 24 July 1969
Apollo 12 - 24 November 1969
Apollo 13 - 17 April 1970
Apollo 14 - 9 February 1971
Apollo 15 - 7 August 1971
Apollo 16 - 27 April 1972
Apollo 17 - 19 December 1972

Notes:
1) There is some confusion over the naming of the early Apollo missions, especially Apollo 1. The first three Apollo-Saturn missions were named AS-201, 203 & 202 by NASA. However, some sources unofficially named them Apollo 1, 2 & 3. NASA then indicated that Apollo Spacecraft 012 (AS-204) would be named Apollo 1. On 27 January 1967 a disastrous fire occurred , claiming the lives of Astronauts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. Subsequently, their widows requested that the Apollo 1 designation be retained. In a letter to George E. Mueller, OMSF, on March 30, MSC Deputy Director George M. Low offered two suggestions on Apollo designations, in keeping with the intent of a NASA instruction yet keeping the designation Apollo 1 for spacecraft 012. The final decision differed from both suggestions. On April 24, OMSF instructed the Centers that AS-204 would be officially recorded as Apollo 1, "first manned Apollo Saturn flight - failed on ground test." AS-201, AS-202, and AS-203 would not be renumbered in the "Apollo" series, and the next mission would be Apollo 4. Thus officially, Apollo 2 and Apollo 3 do not exist. (Ertel , Ivan D; Morse , Mary Louise; et al, The Apollo Spacecraft Chronology Vol I - IV NASA SP-4009, NASA, 1966-1974)

2) Further confusion was caused by NASA's numbering system where both Apollo 1 and Apollo 5 were designated AS-204. This occurred because the booster from Apollo 1 was reused for Apollo 5.

3) It should be noted that NASA Mission Reports normally only list the Recovery Ships directly capable of recovering the astronaut and/or capsule. Auxillary ships such as Oilers and Communication Relay Ships are usually excluded unless specifically fitted with recovery equipment and acting as a recovery vessel.

4) From Apollo 7 to Apollo 11 the USNS Vanguard acted in two roles; both as a Recovery Ship and as a Tracking Ship. After Apollo 11 she reverted to the single role of being a Tracking Ship.



 

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