CollectSPACE
Encyclopedia
collectSPACE is an online
publication and community for space
history enthusiasts featuring articles and photos about space artifacts and memorabilia, information on past, current, and upcoming space events, space history collecting resources, and links to other space-related websites. It also provides an array of message boards where registered members can discuss various aspects of space history and the space collecting hobby; buy, sell, or trade items; or pose "what if?" historical questions. Users often abbreviate the website's name as "cS," and members often refer to each other as "cSers."
collectSPACE, founded and edited by Robert Pearlman
, has published articles and reviews by authors Andrew Chaikin
(A Man on the Moon
), Kris Stoever (For Spacious Skies), James Oberg
(Red Star in Orbit), Frederick Ordway III (Imagining Space), Francis French
(In the Shadow of the Moon
), David Hitt
(Homesteading Space), Russell Still (Relics of the Space Race), Colin Burgess
(Into That Silent Sea
), Jay Gallentine (Ambassadors From Earth) and Apollo astronaut Walt Cunningham, among others.
. Pearlman instead bought the URL collectSPACE.com, which came online on July 20, 1999, the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing
(Conrad died unexpectedly July 8).
collectSpace originally contained a photo gallery, drawing on Pearlman's personal collection; "Sightings," a calendar of astronaut appearances; and a short article about Apollo 11 anniversary toys. "Sightings" was chosen to show up in Internet searches for Sightings
, a TV series about UFO
s. The site's original tagline was "memorabilia from the conquest of the final frontier," which became "The Source for Space History & Artifacts."
collectSPACE earned national media attention later in 1999 for its role in halting a controversial eBay
auction for space shuttle Challenger
debris. In September 1999, it first covered a space memorabilia auction—Christie's
East—followed by Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills, California
the following month. collectSPACE was the first to webcast space memorabilia auctions, providing live audio (and one year, video) from Superior Gallery's auction floor, as well as live hammer results (auction houses subsequently added their own webcast capabilities or partnered with eBay
for live online bidding).
The site's message board went online in November 1999. Among those posting and replying to messages have been former Apollo (EECOM flight controller) Sy Liebergot; Stephen Clemmons, a member of the Apollo 1
ground support crew; Project Mercury
astronaut Scott Carpenter
's daughter Kris Stoever; astronaut Pete Conrad's son, Pete Conrad, III; National Air and Space Museum
curator Allan Needell, space historian Dwayne A. Day, Who's Who in Space authors Michael Cassutt and Rex Hall, Kraig McNutt of "Today In Space History," and The Surfaris
' former bassist Andrew Lagomarsino, among others. A number of astronauts are known to be cS readers.
collectSPACE was nominated for The Houston Chronicle' s best blog
in its Ultimate Houston Readers Pick for 2005.
In 2006, collectSPACE was the first to reveal the name of NASA's next planned manned spacecraft, Orion
, and publish its logo; as well as the name Altair for the next planned lunar lander.
, collectSPACE organized Heroes Helping Heroes, an online auction benefiting the American Red Cross
. In partnership with Yahoo!
Auctions, the site offered bidders the chance to have an item of their choice signed by one of 22 retired astronauts, who volunteered to participate. $
12,686 was raised.
Between 2003 and 2006, collectSPACE hosted annual silent auctions benefiting the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The astronaut experiences and artifacts auctions have raised more than USD $180,000 for exceptional college students seeking degrees in science
and engineering
.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
publication and community for space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
history enthusiasts featuring articles and photos about space artifacts and memorabilia, information on past, current, and upcoming space events, space history collecting resources, and links to other space-related websites. It also provides an array of message boards where registered members can discuss various aspects of space history and the space collecting hobby; buy, sell, or trade items; or pose "what if?" historical questions. Users often abbreviate the website's name as "cS," and members often refer to each other as "cSers."
collectSPACE, founded and edited by Robert Pearlman
Robert Pearlman
Robert Zane Pearlman is an American space historian and the founder and editor of collectSPACE, a website devoted to news and information concerning space exploration and space-related artifacts and memorabilia, especially in popular culture...
, has published articles and reviews by authors Andrew Chaikin
Andrew Chaikin
Andrew Chaikin is an American author, speaker and space journalist. He currently lives in Vermont.He is the author of A Man on the Moon, a detailed description of the Apollo missions to the moon...
(A Man on the Moon
A Man on the Moon
A Man on the Moon is a book by Andrew Chaikin, first published in 1994. It describes the voyages of the Apollo program astronauts in detail, from Apollo 8 to 17....
), Kris Stoever (For Spacious Skies), James Oberg
James Oberg
James Edward Oberg is an American space journalist and historian, regarded as an expert on the Russian space program.-Biography:...
(Red Star in Orbit), Frederick Ordway III (Imagining Space), Francis French
Francis French
Francis French is a book and magazine author from Manchester, England, specializing in space flight history. He is a former director of events for Sally Ride Science, and a director at the San Diego Air & Space Museum....
(In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Shadow of the Moon (book)
In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility is a 2007 non-fiction book by space historians Francis French and Colin Burgess...
), David Hitt
David Hitt (author)
William David Hitt is an American author specializing in spaceflight history.Hitt is co-author of Homesteading Space, a history of the Skylab program, with NASA astronauts Owen K. Garriott and Joseph Kerwin. Homesteading Space was published in 2008 by the University of Nebraska Press as part of its...
(Homesteading Space), Russell Still (Relics of the Space Race), Colin Burgess
Colin Burgess (author)
Colin Burgess is an Australian author and historian, specializing in space flight and military history. He is a former customer service manager for Qantas Airways, and a regular contributor to the collectSPACE online community. He lives in New South Wales...
(Into That Silent Sea
Into That Silent Sea
Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era 1961-1965 is a 2007 non-fiction book by space historians Francis French and Colin Burgess...
), Jay Gallentine (Ambassadors From Earth) and Apollo astronaut Walt Cunningham, among others.
History
The website's intended name was spacememorabilia.com, for which a logo had been designed; however, the URL was owned (though not in use) by former Gemini and Apollo astronaut Pete ConradPete Conrad
Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. was an American naval officer, astronaut and engineer, and the third person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. He set an eight-day space endurance record along with command pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission, and commanded the Gemini 11 mission...
. Pearlman instead bought the URL collectSPACE.com, which came online on July 20, 1999, the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
(Conrad died unexpectedly July 8).
collectSpace originally contained a photo gallery, drawing on Pearlman's personal collection; "Sightings," a calendar of astronaut appearances; and a short article about Apollo 11 anniversary toys. "Sightings" was chosen to show up in Internet searches for Sightings
Sightings
Sightings was an American paranormal documentary and news television series that originally aired from April 17, 1992 to August 1, 1997 on Fox. The program began as a special titled The UFO Report: Sightings on October 18, 1991...
, a TV series about UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
s. The site's original tagline was "memorabilia from the conquest of the final frontier," which became "The Source for Space History & Artifacts."
collectSPACE earned national media attention later in 1999 for its role in halting a controversial eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
auction for space shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
debris. In September 1999, it first covered a space memorabilia auction—Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
East—followed by Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
the following month. collectSPACE was the first to webcast space memorabilia auctions, providing live audio (and one year, video) from Superior Gallery's auction floor, as well as live hammer results (auction houses subsequently added their own webcast capabilities or partnered with eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
for live online bidding).
The site's message board went online in November 1999. Among those posting and replying to messages have been former Apollo (EECOM flight controller) Sy Liebergot; Stephen Clemmons, a member of the Apollo 1
Apollo 1
Apollo 1 was scheduled to be the first manned mission of the Apollo manned lunar landing program, with a target launch date of February 21, 1967. A cabin fire during a launch pad test on January 27 at Launch Pad 34 at Cape Canaveral killed all three crew members: Command Pilot Virgil "Gus"...
ground support crew; Project Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
astronaut Scott Carpenter
Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter is an American engineer, former test pilot, astronaut, and aquanaut. He is best known as one of the original seven astronauts selected for NASA's Project Mercury in April 1959....
's daughter Kris Stoever; astronaut Pete Conrad's son, Pete Conrad, III; National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
curator Allan Needell, space historian Dwayne A. Day, Who's Who in Space authors Michael Cassutt and Rex Hall, Kraig McNutt of "Today In Space History," and The Surfaris
The Surfaris
The Surfaris were an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles, California area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" on the A-side and "Wipe Out" on the B-side of a 45 RPM single.-Career:The original...
' former bassist Andrew Lagomarsino, among others. A number of astronauts are known to be cS readers.
collectSPACE was nominated for The Houston Chronicle
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
in its Ultimate Houston Readers Pick for 2005.
In 2006, collectSPACE was the first to reveal the name of NASA's next planned manned spacecraft, Orion
Orion (spacecraft)
Orion is a spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin for NASA, the space agency of the United States. Orion development began in 2005 as part of the Constellation program, where Orion would fulfill the function of a Crew Exploration Vehicle....
, and publish its logo; as well as the name Altair for the next planned lunar lander.
Charitable auctions
In the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, collectSPACE organized Heroes Helping Heroes, an online auction benefiting the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
. In partnership with Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Auctions, the site offered bidders the chance to have an item of their choice signed by one of 22 retired astronauts, who volunteered to participate. $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
12,686 was raised.
Between 2003 and 2006, collectSPACE hosted annual silent auctions benefiting the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The astronaut experiences and artifacts auctions have raised more than USD $180,000 for exceptional college students seeking degrees in science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
.