Ad*Astra

AD*ASTRA is the quarterly Newsletter of  AS.IT.AF (Italian and English version are available).

N°0 August 2008

  • AS.IT.AF. has born
  • Founding Members: Who is who?
  • Astronews
  • AS.IT.AF. in the Web
  • The AS.IT.AF. library

N°1 November 2008

  • Apollo 40th Anniversary: Celebration started
  • Astrophilately over a coffee
  • AS.IT.AF.welcomes Paul and Chris Calle
  • What is an Astrophilatelic Collection.
  • Luciano Fraschetti, Founder of FDC Roma.

N°2 March 2009

  • AS.IT.AF. goes public
  • ISS marks 10 years in space
  • Thales Alenia Space: a major contribution to ISS (part one)
  • What is an Astrophilatelic Collection. 2 – Scope and contents
  • Latina stamps from Slovenjia for Apollo 40th, with special postmark

N°3 July 2009

  • Apollo: 40 years
  • Alec Bartos: AS.IT.AF. Member designs Apollo stamps in Romania for 40th Anniversary
  • Thales Alenia Space: a major contribution to ISS (part two)
  • LRO returns pictures of Apollo relics on the Moon
  • Astrophilately over a coffee
  • Criteria for evaluating Astrophilately Exhibits – 1
  • Astronews
  • In Memoriam: Ottavio Irio Fantini

N°4 October 2009

  • 2009: a year full of initiatives
  • Homage to the “astrophilatelist” Giovanni Riggi Di Numana
  • The Chiavari and Pecetto exhibits: a new “educational” approach
  • Astrophilately over a coffee
  • The future of human space flights
  • It’s time for NASA to get back on track! – Interview with Walter Cunningham (Apollo 7)
  • “I Ragazzi della Luna” by Walt Cunningham – book review of the Italian version

N°5 January 2010

  • Nodo-3 and Cupola: a “room with a view” added to ISS
  • Little known ASTP flown covers
  • Astrophilately over a coffee
  • Space artist Bob McCall died at 90
  • Criteria for evaluating Astrophilately Exhibits – 2
  • Astro News

N°6 April 2010

  • Presidential note
  • Apollo 15: “The problem we brought back from the Moon”
  • Cygnus ISS Commercial resupply services by Thales Alenia Space
  • Giovanni Schiaparelli celebrated in the 100th Anniversary of his death
  • A special postmark accompanies the participation of AS.IT.AF. to ESOF2010
  • Astronews

N°7 July 2010

  • 25th birthday of Astrophilately
  • ESOF 2010 and Celebration for Schiaparelli
  • AD*ASTRA splits into two editions
  • From Galileo to Schiaparelli: Italian Astronomers on stamps
  • Russians on the Moon
  • Apollo 7 patch reissued in limited edition with COA

N°8 October 2010

  • 25 Years of Astrophilately
  • Beatrice Bachmann: The Doyenne of Astrophilately
  • The Prague Astronomical Orloj is 600 years old
  • AstroNews
  • The Italian contribution to space discovery and exploration

N°9-10 July 2011

  • Italian stamp to commemorate 50 Years of Manned Space Flight
  • AS.IT.AF. welcomes Walter Cunningham as Honorary Member
  • “Fifty Years of Manned Space Flight” celebrated in Torino
  • Gagarin stamps and postmarks in Italy
  • Astrophilatelic Exhibition held in Turin
  • AS.IT.AF. pays hommage to Paul Calle
  • Astrophilately exhibition at Borgo Faiti (Latina)
  • Venezia 2011: four golden medals for astrophilately
  • Gagarin Rumanian stamps designed by Alec Bartos
  • Yuri A. Gagarin, the first space traveller
  • Alan Shepard – the second astronaut in history
  • STS-135: Final Launch of the Space Shuttle Program
  • Lunar landing: the philatelic side of Apollo 11 mission
  • Paolo Nespoli back to Milano

N° 11 December 2011

  • Nespoli celebrates the first anniversary of MagISStra
  • Italy and Shuttle – Spacelab (part 1)
  • Luigi Broglio, the pioneer of the Italian Astronautics
  • Paul Calle’s Space Art
  • Gagarin commemorated by the Italian Philately
  • «I’ve been in the Heaven, but I didn’t see God!»
  • John Glenn: the first American in Earth orbit
  • How the “Space hackers” remind Yuri Gagarin
  • History of Astronomy through the Stamps, by R. Dicati awarded at Philanippon 2011
  • AS.IT.AF. sponsors Crescentino exhibition
  • VeronaFil 2011: missing the spark of recent years
  • AS.IT.AF. booklet: Schiaparelli and exploration of Mars
  • AS.IT.AF. booklet: Astronumismatics
  • Mars, the Red Challenge

N°12 March 2012

  • ATV-2/MagISStra flown cover
  • ATV, a new challenging topic for Collectors
  • VEGA: the Italian Proud
  • Vega at first launch
  • Italy and Shuttle – Spacelab (part 2)
  • The Secret Mercury Stamp is fifty years

N°13 June 2012

  • Twenty years of Italian Astronauts in Space
  • Spacehab: the Italian bridge towards ISS
  • Sirio: the 1st Italian telecommunication satellite
  • 100 years of Wernher Von Braun
  • The first official Baikonur Postmark
  • The Baikonur-Karaganda fakes

N°14 September 2012

  • Neil Armstrong: reluctant, modest Hero
  • Luca Parmitano flying to ISS with Mission “Volare”
  • Twenty years of Italian Astronauts in space
  • The Tethered satellite
  • EURECA, the EUropean REtrievable CArrier
  • Again on Sirio
  • Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
  • The postmark of the Sovchoz Baikonur

N°15 December 2012

  • APOLLO 17: 40 years ago the last man on the moon
  • COLUMBUS: the European laboratory on ISS
  • 20 Years of Italian astros in space – special postmark
  • IRIS: the Italian launcher in the Shuttle's cargo bay
  • INTEGRAL: four tons of technologies
  • Soyuz-4/5: the first Baikonur special postmarks
  • Soyuz-4/5: the 1st delivery service of cosmic mail
  • Four messages in the Kamanin's envelop.

N°16 March 2013

  • Ten years since the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia
  • MPLM: a tormented success story
  • ESA and Telecommunications Satellites
  • The SALTO DI QUIRRA Missile Range
  • The Baikonur bilingual daily cancel
  • NASA’s Orion powered by the ESA’s ATV SM

N°17 June 2013

  • Luca Parmitano is now in space
  • Fifty years ago the first woman in space
  • Astrophilately @ MilanoFil 2013
  • AS.IT.AF. commemorates Tereshkova in Turin
  • Mercury 13 – Right Staff, but Wrong Sex
  • 40th anniversary of SKYLAB Luca Parmitano is now in space

N°18 September 2013

  • The 45th Anniversary of the APOLLO 7 patch
  • Apollo 7: the Flight of Phoenix
  • The Marathon that leads to space
  • Women in Space
  • Mae Jemison: Our limits are the stars
  • IXV, a European experimental re-entry vehicle
  • 50th Anniversary of the first… cat in space
  • Signature on astrophilatelic covers: pure ornament?
  • ASTP Special Baikonur Cancellations
  • More ASTP special postmarks in the USSR

N°19 December 2013

  • Luca Parmitano back home
  • GAIA, the ESA star-mapping spacecraft
  • The Flight of Cygnus
  • Backdated covers in USSR
  • GOCE: Mission accomplished!
  • Earth Observation satellites
  • A Cosmonaut at the Pole
  • Soyuz-Apollo First Day Postmark Moscow, 07.15.1975
  • Yet another “Special ASTP Baikonur postmark”?
  • Spacelab: “the big opportunity”

N°20 March 2014

  • 50 years of European Cooperation in Space
  • Earth Observation Activities in Italy
  • Feeling Free As the Air
  • Why Soviet Special Postmarks design variations?
  • The BURAN-Story (Snowstorm)
  • Olympic Torch in Space
  • Special Russian Postmark for the Soyuz 28 mission

N°21 June 2014

  • SENTINEL: a new European monitoring programme
  • Commemorating the death of Galileo Galilei
  • The BURAN-Story (Snowstorm) – Part 2
  • John Houbolt, a pivotal figure in reaching the Moon
  • On-board postmark devoted to Tereshkova’s flight
  • Philatelic commemoration of Olympic torch on ISS
  • Baikonur: the "Science & Space Stele" daily postmark

N°22 October 2014

  • BepiColombo integration and functional tests completed
  • BepiColombo mission to Mercury
  • ISSpresso: An espresso machine for the Space Station
  • Janice Voss visits the ISS as a Cygnus Craft
  • Yelena Serova, First Russian Woman Cosmonaut on the ISS.
  • Voskhod 1. The most absurd adventure in space ever
  • Voskhod -1, the first multi-crew space mission, on the stamps
  • Baikonur daily postmark "Rocket on the carriage".

 N°23 December 2014

  • Astrophilately at the Italian Space Agency
  • 50th Anniversary of the launch of San Marco
  • Samantha Cristoforetti is out of Planet.
  • “WOMEN IN SPACE” at Verano Brianza
  • Claudie Haigneré, the first ESA Female Astronaut
  • 40th Anniversary of INTASAT, First Spanish satellite
  • Rosetta: first mission in history to touch down on a comet
  • Galileo at San Marino
  • AGROSPACE 2014 throws the challenge to EXPO 2015
  • Gagarin and Sputnik in the Baikonur Postmarks

N° 24 March 2015

  • IXV Mission - successfully accomplished!
  • In Memoriam Achille Judica Cordiglia
  • Voskhod-2: the last dramatic chance to beat the Americans
  • EVA IS 50 !
  • Leonov & Belyayev: “It Takes Two to Tango”
  • “WOMEN IN SPACE” at Terracina
  • Soviet Space Postmarks: 20th Anniversary of the first spacewalk. Moscow 1985
  • My favourite space item

N° 25 June 2015

  • Samantha Cristoforetti returns to Earth after her record-breaking ISS Mission
  • Gemini: the astronaut sits in the driver seat
  • Women in Space – newly published.
  • NASA's contribution to the research on the Shroud of Turin
  • NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
  • SpaceX Dragon brings to ISS the long-awaited ISSpresso machine.
  • Soviet TT&C Supporting ASTP
  • San Marco satellite commemorated on the ISS
  • ASTP special cancellations. Some additional details

N° 26 September 2015

  • Paolo Nespoli on the ISS for the third time
  • Gmunden’15: food for thought on astrophilately
  • Luca Parmitano: “Captain Neemo” for 14 days
  • Galileo: European global satellite navigation system
  • WOMEN IN SPACE at Spotorno
  • New Horizons visits Pluto
  • Fake Soviet Ship Cachet Discovered
  • Gagarin's Kiev Special postmark

 N° 27 December 2015

  • EXOMARS to start its long trip to Mars
  • Philespace 2015 at St. Medard
  • Fifty years ago our Diamant first shone.
  • ISS: 15 years and counting
  • GEMINI: Learning to drive in Space
  • Gmunden 2015 - the Juror’s point of view
  • Sochi, Playground of the Cosmonauts
  • 40th anniversary of ASTP celebrated on the ISS
  • Soviet Space Postmarks for the anniversary of. Jangel and Korolev

N° 28-29 June 2016

  • Exomars 2016 on its way to Mars
  • ASITAF welcomes Paolo Nespoli
  • Italian parachutes to land on Mars
  • Delivering Exomars: three cargo flights in five days
  • The scream of the little Martian
  • ALTEC ROCC: ExoMars Rover Operations Control Center
  • Italian technology leads the ExoMars space missions
  • Sentinel: the Guardian Angel of the Planet
  • Prague: Eurospace 2016
  • Reflections for an update of the Astrophilately SREV
  • Italy in Space
  • “IN THE PINK IN THE STARS” at Crescentino
  • Gemini pragmatically progresses. Where the Soviets?
  • Helen Sharman 25 years ago, the first Briton in space
  • Four wheels across the space
  • Onboard Cancellation on the orbital station Salyut 6

 N° 30 September 2016

  • Franco Malerba, Guest of Honor at Spotorno
  • “Scienza F antastica 2016” in Spotorno
  • “Italy in Space”: 20 billboards tell 50 years of successes
  • Gaetano Arturo Crocco. From Airships to Missiles
  • Sputnik-1 e la nascita della navigazione spaziale
  • Lo Sputnik nel “Corriere dei Piccoli” russo
  • La Medicina Aerospaziale - Spacelab
  • Soviet Space Postmarks for Yuri Gagarin

 N° 31 December 2016

  • Exomars: failure or success?
  • Astrophilately at Bologna 2016
  • One year in ASITAF
  • 50 years ago the grand finale of GEMINI.
  • Gaetano Arturo Crocco: “Missilibus Ad Astra”
  • A Tale of Two Baikonurs
  • Pamela Melroy: “Try to be true to yourself”
  • Soviet Space Postmarks for the Vostok flights

N° 32 March 2017

  • 25 years of Italian astronauts in space
  • Franco Malerba, the first Italian astronaut
  • Apollo 1: the 1st tragedy in the US Space Programme
  • The MMARS-1 experiment
  • The leap of the Cricket
  • The new Board of the FIP Astrophilately Section
  • GRILLO - The Italian mail rocket at the Genoa Fair
  • Nicola Pecile: in 20 years to the opposite side of the Planet in 2 hours
  • BION-10: A Model for the Goals of the International Space Year
  • BION-10 nell‘Anno Internazionale dello Spazio
  • Soviet Space Postmarks

N° 33 June 2017

  • "25 years of Italian Astronauts in space" at Milan
  • "25 years of Italian Astronauts in space" at Villarbasse
  • Paolo Nespoli ready to launch!
  • San Marco 2. The first lift-off from a non-American and non-Soviet launch complex
  • From the Descartes Highlands to Turin
  • Stratolaunch, the flying launch-pad
  • The Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017
  • Some Thoughts on Two Astrophilatelic Covers
  • Soviet Space Postmarks

 N° 34 September 2017

  • 25 years of Italian Astronauts in space
  • Sputnik-1: the USSR-USA space race, ignited in Italy
  • Fifty years ago the Gemini twin stamp
  • TTS project: Something that nobody had even done before
  • Stamping the Earth from Space by Renato Dicati
  • Some thought on two astrophilatelic covers
  • When postmark color makes a difference
  • Special Soviet Postmarks

 N° 35 December 2017

  • Paolo Nespoli returns to Earth
  • 40 years of Voyager, Man’s Farthest Travelled Spacecraft
  • Fifty years ago: the first flight of Saturn V
  • Space Shuttle And Skylab: A Missed Opportunity
  • Analysis of Generic Eclipse Postmarks Across America
  • Special Soviet Space Postmarks

 N° 36 March 2018

  • Ten Years of AS.IT.AF
  • Special Soviet Postmarks

 N° 37 June 2018

  • Nespoli Day in Verano
  • Luca Parmitano to be the 1st Italian Commander of ISS
  • Maurizio Cheli: Mt. Everest, my new great adventure after space‖
  • MilanoFil 2018: Philately for Space and Astronomie
  • SpaceX's historic Falcon Heavy successfully launch
  • Zuma’s Top Secret Mission
  • Resupplying satellites with the Space Shuttle
  • Special Soviet Postmarks

 N° 38 October 2018

  • Apollo 7 opens a 4-years long NASA celebration
  • Paolo Nespoli at “Scienza Fantastica 2018”
  • WRESAT – 50 years of Australia in Space
  • Tiangong 2 China’s Second Heavenly Palace
  • Jeff Dugdale’s “DigiDisplays”
  • FIP Astrophilately Commission informal Meeting in Prague
  • Shuttle Mission STS-95 pictorial cancel
  • Special Soviet Postmarks

N° 39 December 2018

  • ORION’s European Service Module delivered to NASA
  • BepiColombo: European-Japanese spacecraft to Mercury
  • Columbus & ATV 10th anniversary
  • Space Shuttle: Unflown Science and Technology Missions
  • Tianhe-1: China’s Permanently Manned Space Station
  • Bangkok FIP Meeting: new Astrophilately Guidelines
  • Special Soviet Postmarks

N° 40 March 2019

  • A very special cover exclusive to ASITAF members
  • InSight lands on Mars, carrying Italian technologies
  • Apollo 8 – Merry Christmas from the Moon
  • The Unfulfilled Potential of the External Tank
  • Anne McClain: to preschool at 3, to learn to be an astronaut
  • The Race to The Moon Chronicled in Stamps, Postcards,and Postmarks – Book Review
  • Special Soviet Postmarks

 N° 41 June 2019

  • Paolo Nespoli in Villarbasse for Moonlanding show
  • Apollo Programme: 5 steps towards the Moon
  • Calle: Putting their stamp on the Moon
  • Calle, the first Honorary Member of ASITAF
  • Apollo 11 - First Communion on the Moon
  • Christina Hammock Koch
  • Soyuz MS-10 Launch Failure in 2018 and implications
  • Stratolaunch: a dream doomed to end soon?

 N° 42 September 2019

  • EXOMARS 2020. Integration completed at TAS-I
  • Rome confers honorary citizenship to Michael Collins
  • Parmitano “looks further” with the Beyond mission
  • TSV3 Apollo CosmicRay mission
  • “China 2019” international stamp exhibition
  • Astrophilately in China
  • The Bible on the Moon
  • Apollo 11 50th anniversary stamps in Romania

 N° 43 December 2019

  • Events for the 50th anniversary of the Moonlanding in Italy
  • Goodbye, Pietro Pantanella!
  • Alexei Leonov, a legend of space
  • The Design of the Apollo Lunar Lander
  • Moonlanding in San Marino
  • Origin of China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
  • Unexpected US Apollo 11 Postmark Variations
  • Special postmark celebrating Apollo 11 in Italy.

 N° 44 March 2020

  • Mission accomplished for Luca Parmitano
  • The first catholic Bible into Space
  • Beware! The ill-famed Baikonur fakes are still up and running!
  • Jessica Meir: From the sea to the stars
  • Brugherio Exhibition "4 steps on the Moon"
  • The "Epic of Apollo" in Moncalvo
  • First Chinese Space Mail

 N° 45 June 2020

  • Crew Dragon: a new chapter in space exploration
  • First Successful Recovery of Chinese Space Mail
  • Space Tourism - 1: Space Adventures
  • Vatican and Apollo programme
  • American special space cancellations in history

N° 46 September 2020

  • Scienza Fantastica in Spotorno
  • Space Tourism – 2: Virgin Galactic.
  • ISS shot by Chinese remote sensing sat Jilin-1
  • Beth Moses: the 1st woman on a private spacecraft.
  • A coin to commemorate Christa McAuliffe in 2021
  • Final test of HAPS at Spaceport America
  • From Antarctica to space
  • Space mail from Chinese Shenzou-1
  • ISS Mission Control Station pictorial postmarks

N° 47 December 2020

  • The third structural unit ESM-3 delivered to Bremen
  • Rosalind Franklin leaves Turin for final tests in Cannes
  • Hayabusa-2: new data on life in the Universe
  • Kathleen Rubins: microbiologist turned astronaut
  • Space Mail from Chinese Shenzhou-2
  • Test of the next-generation Chinese spacecraft
  • Is still possible astrophilately in Italy?
  • FARSI SPAZIO – review of Paolo Nespoli’s book

N° 48 March 2021

  • Yuri Gagarin. Human space exploration era turns 60
  • Yuri Gagarin. The astrophilatelic side of Vostok-1 mission
  • 40 years ago: the maiden flight of Space Shuttle STS-1
  • The first welding of HALO
  • From the Penguin Post Office to the ISS
  • Salto di Quirra – How it all began
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou-3 Mission
  • Gagarin Modeling Competition in Moscow

N° 49 June 2021

  • Dragon women spacefarers on the Falcon wings
  • Bishop: a new room on the International Space Station
  • New Board Cancel in the ISS Russian Segment
  • SPACE RIDER: the Esa's reusable mini-shuttle
  • 50th anniversary of the launch of Salyut 1
  • Space flights: little companies grow up
  • The Chinese Dragon shrouded in mystery
  • Space Mail from China's New Generation Spacecraft Test Ship

N° 50 October 2021

  • Cover by Alec Bartos
  • Tribute to Jeff Dugdale
  • Space Tourism: the next big adventure
  • Sirisha Bandla - From Guntur to the edge of space
  • Wally Funk - No one has waited longer!
  • Our affectionate wishes to PAOLO NESPOLI!
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou 4 Unmanned Spacecraft
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou 5 First Manned Spacecraft

N° 51 December 2021

  • Astrophilately at Milan and Siracusa
  • Hayley Arceneaux, the hope on Inspirati④n
  • Yulia Peresild – the first actress in space
  • ASITAF “spacefood” moves to Istanbul
  • From Scott-Amundsen Polar Station to ISS
  • French-Soviet ARAKS experiment investigates Magnetosphere
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou 6 First Manned Spacecraft

N° 52 March 2022

  • Best wishes to Walt Cunningham, who turned 90
  • Annual ASITAF Meeting and Board Renewal
  • SpinLaunch A giant centrifuge to hurl into space
  • Licia-Cube captures collision with asteroid
  • A cover flown on Soyuz 9.
  • Kayla Barron, a pioneering submariner turned astronaut
  • Waiting for ARTEMIS
  • San Marco 2: the first satellite from the Malindi platform
  • “BACK TO EARTH” by Nicole Stott – book review
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou 7 Manned Spacecraft

N° 53 July 2022

  • DIVINE COMEDY into space, “to rebehold the stars”
  • The growth of a small company: Vaya Space
  • From the world’s highest post office to the ISS
  • See you Moon!
  • The ASITAF: covers IXV (Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle)
  • Space Mail from Chinese Shenzhou 8 Unmanned Spacecraft

N° 54 November 2022

  • Cristoforetti back to Earth after 170 days
  • The growth of a small company: LΛUNȻHER
  • LICIACube sends images of the DART Impact
  • The ASITAF covers: ExoMars
  • Collecting China Space Programme: challenge and fun
  • Liberec 2022 - where does Philately want to go?

N° 55 February 2023

  • Addio Luigi Bussolino! ASITAF Vice-President
  • Walt Cunningham, ASITAF Member, passed away at 90
  • Artemis I and ESM: a success Story
  • The ASITAF covers: Orion’s ESM
  • ArgoMoon, the first Italian sat to orbit the Moon
  • Virtual Exhibitions
  • The growth of a small company: FIREFLY AEROSPACE

N° 56 March 2023

  • 2008: ASITAF was born
  • 2009: First ASITAF public event
  • 2010: Official competitive astrophilately exhibitions resume in Italy
  • 2011: The year of Gagarin
  • 2012: Twenty years of Italian Astronauts in Space
  • 2013: 50° di Tereskova
  • 2014: 50 years of the San Marco satellite
  • 2015: First participation in foreign exhibitions
  • 2016: The ExoMars adventure begins
  • 2017: 25 years of Italian astronauts in space
  • 2018: ASITAF turns 10
  • 2019: 50th Anniversary of the first moon landing
  • 2020: COVID-19 emergency
  • 2021: Timid recovery
  • 2022: New rules and old mindset in astrophilately

N° 57 June 2023

  • StarShip's maiden flight: a successful failure
  • DANTE-SAT: the Divine Comedy back in space
  • Anna Kikina. The 1st Russian on a private US spacecraft
  • The growth of a small company: RELATIVITY SPACE
  • A ride on Mars, with your feet on the ground
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou 9 and Tiangong 1
  • “TO THE STARS” Women Spacefarers Legacy

N° 58 October 2023

  • ASITAF annual meeting in BergamoFil and renewal of Board
  • ITALY leading player in GALACTIC 01
  • The first cover that reached space with Virgin Galactic
  • Nicola Pecile, the first Italian astronaut to pilot a spaceplane
  • Galactic 03 carries Fossils to Space’s Edge
  • Space flights: the little grow up – ASTRA SPACEE
  • OSIRIS-REx returns asteroid samples to Earth
  • “TO THE STARS” book review
  • Space Mail from Shenzhou 10 and Tiangong 1

N° 59 January 2024

  • SPACELAB turns 40
  • Return to the Moon, with the Italian Industry
  • Return to the moon – 1. New Players
  • ASITAF space food in Athens with NASA Life in space
  • Prague, CR: “Italian cuisine out of the World”
  • “The Challenge” on the 62th Cosmonautics Day
  • “Space between Science and Fiction”: ALTEC turns 20
  • In Poland the first space cryptostamp