SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER - STS - 51L CREW - COLLECTION WITH LT. COLONEL ELLISON S. "EL" ONIZUKA, GREG JARVIS, RONALD E. McNAIR, LT. COLONEL DICK (FRANCIS R.) SCOBEE, CHRISTA McAULIFFE, JUDITH A. "JUDY" RESNIK, CAPTAIN MICHAEL J. SMITH - HFSID 91147

CHALLENGER STS-51L: FRANCIS R. "DICK" SCOBEE, MICHAEL J. SMITH, RONALD E. "RON"McNAIR, ELLISON "EL" S. ONIZUKA, JUDITH A. "JUDY" RESNIK, GREG JARVIS and CHRISTA McAULIFFE
Collection framed in the Gallery of History style to 42x28. Four of the astronauts signed envelopes postmarked the day they died
Comprises: (1) DICK SCOBEE, JUDY RESNICK and RON McNAIR. Envelope signed: "Dick Scobee", "Judy Resnik" and "Ron McNair", 6¼x3½. 22¢ Abigail Adams stamp affixed. Postmarked Kennedy Space Center, FL, January 28, 1986 (the day of the Challenger tragedy). Typed at left margin: "Space Shuttle 51-L". The names of five members are typed below the heading. Scobee, Resnick and McNair have signed to the right of their names. Fine condition. (2) MICHAEL J. SMITH. Commemorative Envelope signed: "Michael J Smith", 6¼x3½. 15¢ stamp affixed, postmarked Pearlington, MS, May 20, 1980. Air Mail envelope with stamped cachet: "NSTL/Space Shuttle Columbia/FLT Eng 2007 Removed A2/2005 Installed". Lightly rippled. Fine condition. (3) ELLISON ONIZUKA. Commemorative Envelope signed: "Ellison Onizuka/5-15-81", 6¼x3½. 3¢ "To Cast a Ballot" and 15¢ flag stamp affixed, postmarked Kennedy Space Center, FL, April 12, 1981. Stamped Space/Shuttle cachet. Slightly rippled. Slightly soiled at lower right blank edge. Fine condition. (4) CHRISTA McAULIFFE. Envelope signed: "S. Christa McAuliffe", 6½x3½. Air Mail envelope, 22¢ flag stamp affixed, postmarked Kennedy Space Center, FL, January 28, 1986 (the day of the Challenger tragedy). Pencil erasure beneath name. Fine condition. (5) GREG JARVIS. Signature: "Greg Jarvis/ 659 6th St/ Hermosa Beach CA/ 90254", 2¼x1¼ label affixed to Air Mail envelope, 6¼x3½. Two 22¢ stamps affixed, postmarked Kennedy Space Center, FL, January 28, 1986 (the day of the Challenger tragedy). Mission logo affixed at left margin. Slightly creased. Fine condition. The space shuttle Challenger mission STS-51L was launched on January 27, 1986 with a crew of seven: Mission Commander FRANCIS R. "DICK" SCOBEE, a veteran of the Challenger's 41-C mission (April 6-13, 1984), Pilot MICHAEL J. SMITH, a former U.S. Navy test pilot on his maiden shuttle voyage, and Mission Specialists Dr. RON McNAIR, who had previously been aboard Challengermission 41-B (February 3-11, 1984), Colonel ELLISON ONIZUKA, a former crew member on Discoverymission STS 51-C (January 24-27, 1985), and Dr. JUDY RESNIK, who had been aboard the maiden flight of the orbiter Discovery(August 30-September 5, 1984). Also aboard were two civilian Payload Specialists, GREG JARVIS of Hughes Co., who specialized in space communications satellites, and CHRISTA McAULIFFE, the "teacher in space" from Concord, New Hampshire, who was scheduled to teach a televised class to school children across America. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, a crucial seal in the rocket failed, causing the craft to disintegrate in a ball of fire with the tragic loss of all crewmembers. The two envelopes of McAuliffe and of Scobee/Resnick/McNair were blank when they were signed. A stamp was affixed on each, postmarked at the Kennedy Space Center on January 28, 1986, the day of the catastrophic launch of Challenger STS-51. Five items. Frame has small chip at lower front. Framed in the Gallery of History style: 41½x27½.