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This is an original 1988 Manned Flight Awareness package issued by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International ahead of the Space Shuttle’s return to flight after the Challenger accident.
Included (21 pieces total):
• Original signed letter dated 22 August 1988 from Richard Schwartz, President, Rocketdyne Division, Rockwell International (Canoga Park, CA).
Printed on official Rockwell International letterhead with the PIQE logo. It references the successful Flight Readiness Firing of the Main Engines on 12 August 1988 and the upcoming 26th Space Shuttle mission (STS-26). Signed in ink “Dick Schwartz.”
• 20 official NASA Space Shuttle crew portraits and mission photos/posters, including labeled examples of STS-30, STS-34, STS-37, STS-40, STS-41, STS-43, STS-44, STS-45, STS-47, and STS-53, plus additional crew and orbiter images and one “SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS” patch poster.
Employee labels:
Ten of the photos carry a matching white adhesive label on the reverse that reads:
V KESHISHIAN
SHIFT 1
635 114 HB23 CHA 55
These appear to be internal Rocketdyne employee or distribution labels from when the package was issued. V. Keshishian is listed in technical literature affiliated with Rockwell work on space power systems (including radiation shielding and isotope power subsystem studies), consistent with a Rocketdyne employee receiving this Manned Flight Awareness package during the Return-to-Flight period.
Historical note:
Manned Flight Awareness (later Space Flight Awareness) was NASA’s program for motivating contractor and NASA employees to maintain high quality and safety standards. This package was distributed by Rocketdyne (manufacturer of the Shuttle Main Engines) in the weeks before STS-26, the first mission after the 1986 Challenger disaster. STS-26 launched on Discovery on 29 September 1988.
Condition:
Letter is clean and flat with a clear original signature and only minor handling marks. Photos are in very good condition with typical light edge wear for their age. No astronaut autographs (any signatures visible in the images are printed).
Ships carefully packaged flat. Please review the photos and message with any questions. Thanks for looking!
