Vienna ASE congress - FLOWN Soyuz MS-05 ISS cover signed by 56 astronauts

UNIQUE 56-ASTRONAUT-SIGNED ASE CONGRESS COVER FLOWN TO THE ISS

Soyuz MS-03 • Vienna 2016 • Onboard ISS Postal Markings

Accompanied by Its Original Flown Letter and Photograph in Orbit

An extraordinary, nearly 8 × 10-inch envelope hand-signed by 56 astronauts and cosmonauts attending the 29th Association of Space Explorers Planetary Congress, held in Vienna, Austria, from 3–7 October 2016.

Far more than a convention-signed souvenir, the envelope was subsequently carried to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz MS-03, together with an accompanying handwritten letter addressed to the station crew. Both the envelope and letter received postal markings in orbit, and the ensemble was later returned safely to Earth.

Also included is a photographic print showing this exact cover floating aboard the ISS—providing an exceptional visual record of its presence in space.

The 2016 Association of Space Explorers Congress

The Association of Space Explorers, commonly known as the ASE, is an international organization whose membership is limited to people who have completed at least one orbit of Earth in a spacecraft.

Its annual Planetary Congress brings together experienced astronauts and cosmonauts from many nations to discuss human spaceflight, scientific research, international cooperation and the future exploration of the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond Earth orbit.

The 2016 congress was held in Vienna and other locations across Austria between 3 and 7 October. Approximately 100 astronauts and cosmonauts were expected to participate in the week’s professional, educational and public-outreach activities.

This envelope was signed by an exceptional group of 56 congress participants, creating a remarkable collective record of international human-spaceflight history. The signatures represent numerous programs and generations of exploration, potentially spanning Soviet and Russian Soyuz missions, Mir, NASA’s Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station.

Flight to the International Space Station

Following the Vienna congress, the cover and handwritten letter were prepared for transportation to the ISS aboard Soyuz MS-03.

Soyuz MS-03 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 17 November 2016 at 20:20 UTC—18 November local time in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft carried the complete three-member Expedition 50/51 crew:

Oleg Novitskiy — Roscosmos cosmonaut and Soyuz commander
Peggy Whitson — NASA astronaut and flight engineer
Thomas Pesquet — European Space Agency astronaut and flight engineer

After a two-day rendezvous, the spacecraft docked with the International Space Station, where the newly arrived crew joined the station’s existing residents.

The Soyuz MS-03 Crew

Oleg Novitskiy

Veteran Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy commanded Soyuz MS-03 during launch, rendezvous, docking and return. He served aboard the ISS during Expeditions 50 and 51 and returned to Earth in the same spacecraft after approximately 196 days in space.

Peggy Whitson

NASA astronaut and biochemist Peggy Whitson was already one of the world’s most accomplished space travelers when she launched aboard Soyuz MS-03.

During this expedition, she became the first woman to command the ISS twice and extended her mission beyond the planned Soyuz MS-03 return. She therefore did not land aboard MS-03 with Novitskiy and Pesquet, instead remaining aboard the station and returning later aboard Soyuz MS-04.

Her extended stay brought her career total to 665 days in space, at the time establishing the U.S. record for cumulative time spent in orbit.

Thomas Pesquet

French ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet flew his first space mission aboard Soyuz MS-03. His expedition was known as Proxima and included a broad program of European and international scientific investigations, technology demonstrations and educational activities.

Pesquet later returned to the ISS aboard SpaceX Crew-2 in 2021 and became the first French astronaut to command the station.

Return to Earth

Soyuz MS-03 undocked from the ISS and returned to Earth on 2 June 2017 with:

Oleg Novitskiy
Thomas Pesquet

The Handwritten Letter and Onboard Postal Markings

The accompanying handwritten letter was sent with the envelope to the ISS crew and forms an integral part of the artifact.

Both pieces were postmarked aboard the station, establishing a direct postal connection with their orbital journey. Preserving the original letter together with its envelope gives the ensemble unusual completeness: it documents not merely an object carried into space, but an actual item of correspondence delivered to a crew living and working in orbit.

The inclusion of a photograph showing the cover floating aboard the station adds another important layer of evidence and presentation value. It allows this specific object to be visually identified in the microgravity environment of the ISS.

Historical and Collecting Significance

This remarkable ensemble combines several highly desirable features:

• Nearly 8 × 10-inch format
• Signed by 56 flown astronauts and cosmonauts
• Created at the 2016 ASE Planetary Congress in Vienna
• Postmarked on the congress’s opening day and the eve of Sputnik’s 59th anniversary
• Flown to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz MS-05
• Accompanied by its original handwritten letter to the ISS crew
• Envelope and letter postmarked aboard the station
• Returned safely to Earth
• Accompanied by a photograph showing the actual cover floating in space
• Directly associated with Oleg Novitskiy, Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet
• Connections to Soyuz, the ISS and multiple generations of international space exploration

Few space-philatelic artifacts unite such an extensive assembly of astronaut signatures with documented transportation aboard a crewed spacecraft, postal processing in orbit and photographic evidence of the object aboard the International Space Station.

A truly exceptional centerpiece for an advanced collection devoted to astronaut autographs, the Association of Space Explorers, Soyuz, ISS postal history or flown space memorabilia.

Condition: The envelope measures nearly 8 × 10 inches and displays expected handling, postal markings and signs of its journey. The original flown letter and photographic print of the cover aboard the ISS are included.