About Me
In 1958 when I was 12 years old I started my Spaceflight collection. I had to write an article about an actual subject for schoolwork. That day the first US satellite was launched so I wrote my school article about the first US Explorer satellite. It's Januari 1958, I added some pictures from the Daily News paper and it was a great success !
A HOBBY WAS BORN !
So I am interested in and collector of Spaceflight since the early days......
I wrote my first letter to the US in 1959, had no address so I wrote to: Wernher von Braun, Cape Caneveral, USA that's all and......a couple of weeks later an answer arrived from Huntsville Alabama, and I was so proud ! more letters followed.
I wrote my first letters to the Mercury astronauts when they were still located at the SPACE TAST GROUP, Langley. and of cause the X-15 pilots in that time !
In 1962 I started with some friends a Youth organisation for those who were interested in Spaceflight, in those years we had over 700 members and we published our own monthly Space magazine "Lift-off" later called "Countdown". Typed on stencils, 25 to 40 pages every month....... We also had our Space meetings showed the latest Gemini movies had our trade and exchange days and a lot more, what a great time ! Autographs were not important, material had no value, no money involved, pure hobby, writing was the word.
For one meeting we had send an invitation, just for fun, to the Russian Embassy and a whole delegation of the Russian Embassy arrived at our "youth" Space meeting.
Now, when I write this letter. it's 2009 and I am collecting Spaceflight for 51 years and it's still fun, I have met many astronauts and cosmonauts of the World and have seen most of the "Spaceflight" places in the World.
The passed 10 years I used my collection for non profit school work and Exhibitions to tell young children about Spaceflight. It's good to share your passion with the youth of today
See also: exbibitions and meetings...
1961