Prime Recovery Ship for the MA-6 Space Flight, Col John Glenn.
1962-02-23   USS Noa, DD-841    MA-6 VF-UA
Cachet maker: Goldcraft
This cover commemorates the space flight of Col. John H. Glenn, who on 02/20/1962 became the first American astronaut to orbit the earth. Col. Glenn circled the earth 3 times during his 5-1/2 hour flight before he splashed down in the Atlantic ocean in his space capsule "Friendship Seven" and was picked up by the prime recovery ship USS Noa, DD-841. This colorful, cacheted Goldcraft covers was cancelled on 02/23/1962 and franked with the newly issued Project Mercury stamp. This date is when the new stamps were available to the USS Noa when it arrived in port. This cachet, cancellation and stamp combination is the only recognized usage for the combination. A scarce example of this historic event. The cover also has an autopen signature of John H Glenn, jr.