Expedition 56/57 - FLOWN ISS cover - Alexander Gerst

Expedition 56/57 — ISS-Flown Energia Cover Signed by the Complete Six-Person Crew, Including Alexander Gerst

An exceptional International Space Station-flown cover, officially produced by RSC Energia and featuring the printed mission insignias of both Expedition 56 and Expedition 57.

The cover was postmarked aboard the ISS on June 8, 2018, an especially significant date: the day Soyuz MS-09 docked with the station and expanded the Expedition 56 crew from three to six members. The onboard cancellation therefore records the arrival of a new international crew and the beginning of ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst’s Horizons mission.

The cover is hand-signed by the complete six-person crew aboard the International Space Station following the Soyuz MS-09 arrival:

• Andrew “Drew” Feustel — NASA astronaut and Expedition 56 commander
• Oleg Artemyev — Roscosmos cosmonaut and flight engineer
• Richard “Ricky” Arnold — NASA astronaut and flight engineer
• Sergey Prokopyev — Roscosmos cosmonaut and Soyuz MS-09 commander
• Serena Auñón-Chancellor — NASA astronaut and flight engineer
• Alexander Gerst — European Space Agency astronaut and flight engineer

Alexander Gerst and the Horizons mission

The principal historical appeal of this cover is its close association with Alexander Gerst, one of Europe’s best-known astronauts.

Gerst launched aboard Soyuz MS-09 on June 6, 2018, together with Sergey Prokopyev and Serena Auñón-Chancellor. After a two-day journey, their spacecraft docked with the ISS on June 8—the same date recorded by the cover’s onboard postmark. The opening of the hatches marked Gerst’s return to the station for his second long-duration mission.

Named Horizons, Gerst’s mission encompassed Expeditions 56 and 57 and lasted 197 days. During his time aboard the station, he supported an extensive program of scientific research in medicine, biology, physics, Earth observation and technology development.

Later in the mission, Gerst assumed command of Expedition 57, becoming the first German commander of the International Space Station and only the second European to hold that position. His command began in October 2018 and continued until his return to Earth in December.

A precisely dated artifact of crew arrival

The June 8, 2018 cancellation gives this cover unusually strong historical context. It was applied on the exact day the station welcomed Gerst, Prokopyev and Auñón-Chancellor, restoring the ISS to its full six-person Expedition 56 complement.

The printed insignias of both Expeditions 56 and 57 are particularly appropriate. Gerst, Prokopyev and Auñón-Chancellor served across both expeditions, while Gerst progressed from flight engineer during Expedition 56 to station commander during Expedition 57.

This important astrophilatelic artifact combines:

• Genuine flight aboard the International Space Station
• Official RSC Energia production
• Printed Expedition 56 and Expedition 57 mission insignias
• Onboard ISS postmark dated June 8, 2018
• Cancellation on the date of the Soyuz MS-09 docking and crew arrival
• Handwritten signatures of the complete six-person ISS crew
• Direct association with Alexander Gerst’s Horizons mission
• Connection with Gerst’s historic command of Expedition 57

A highly desirable addition to any advanced collection devoted to Alexander Gerst, European spaceflight, Soyuz missions, the International Space Station or flown astrophilately.