STS-89 + Soyuz TM-26 FLOWN cover - crewsigned

STS-89 / Soyuz TM-26 Flown Mir Cover – Signed by Ten Astronauts & Cosmonauts – From the Jacques Bracke Collection

A rare flown Mir space station cover hand-signed by ten astronauts and cosmonauts associated with the historic STS-89 / Soyuz TM-26 period, including the complete eight-member STS-89 crew: Terrence Wilcutt, Joe Edwards, Bonnie Dunbar, Michael Anderson, James Reilly, Salizhan Sharipov, Andrew Thomas, and David Wolf, together with Mir-24 cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Pavel Vinogradov.

Launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on January 22, 1998, STS-89 was the eighth Shuttle-Mir docking mission and carried out the fifth and final exchange of a U.S. astronaut aboard Mir, delivering Andrew Thomas to the station and returning David Wolf after his long-duration residency. The mission formed part of the pioneering Shuttle-Mir program, which provided vital operational experience for the later International Space Station.

Of particular significance is the signature of Michael P. Anderson, who made his first spaceflight aboard STS-89 and later served on STS-107 Columbia, losing his life with his six crewmates on February 1, 2003. His signature adds considerable historical poignancy and collector importance to the present piece.

Provenance: From the personal collection of renowned astrophilatelist Jacques Bracke.

Combining actual spaceflight carriage, ten astronaut and cosmonaut signatures, direct association with both Mir and Space Shuttle Endeavour, and distinguished Bracke provenance, this is a highly desirable artifact from the landmark era of U.S.–Russian cooperation that paved the way for the International Space Station.