Soyus TM-22/23/24 + STS-76 FLOWN MIR cover

From the celebrated astrophilatelic collection of Jacques Bracke

An exceptional Mir space station–flown cover, carried aboard the historic Russian orbital complex for more than six months during a defining phase of the Shuttle–Mir Program. The cover was officially produced for this unique long-duration voyage and bears two genuine in-space Mir postmarks, dated 23 February 1996 and 2 September 1996—dates that precisely frame its extraordinary passage through a changing sequence of Mir and Shuttle crews.

The cover is associated with four landmark missions: Soyuz TM-22, Soyuz TM-23, STS-76, and Soyuz TM-24. It is hand-signed by an exceptional group of astronauts and cosmonauts from this period, bringing together the American, Russian, German, and French participants in one of the most important early international spaceflight partnerships.

The mission participants represented are:

Soyuz TM-22 / Mir-20
Yuri Gidzenko, Sergei Avdeyev, and ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter.

Soyuz TM-23 / Mir-21
Yuri Onufriyenko and Yuri Usachev.

Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-76
Kevin Chilton, Richard Searfoss, Ronald Sega, Michael “Rich” Clifford, Linda Godwin, and Shannon Lucid.

Soyuz TM-24 / Mir-22
Valery Korzun, Alexander Kaleri, and French cosmonaut-researcher Claudie André-Deshays.

This cover passed through an especially historic moment in the Shuttle–Mir Program. Soyuz TM-23 arrived at Mir in February 1996, replacing the Soyuz TM-22 crew. In March, Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with Mir on STS-76 and delivered Shannon Lucid, who began a record-setting long-duration American stay aboard the station. STS-76 also included the first spacewalk jointly involving U.S. and Russian space-program operations around Mir, performed by Michael Clifford and Linda Godwin. In August, Soyuz TM-24 brought the next Mir expedition—Korzun, Kaleri, and André-Deshays—to the station, while the original Mir-21 crew prepared to return to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-23 on 2 September 1996.

The reverse is personally certified by cosmonaut Yuri Usachev, complete with his official seal—an important and highly desirable direct authentication from one of the cover’s signatories and a principal Mir resident during its flight.

Even so, the cover represents a spectacular long-duration Shuttle–Mir artifact, combining multiple Soyuz expeditions, a complete Shuttle crew association, dual Mir postal markings, direct cosmonaut certification, and the distinguished provenance of Jacques Bracke.