COVER N. 533 - RUSSIA

Postmark: Illegible

Posted on (?); Received on the 19th November 2024

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The second letter from Julia came in a nice envelope with a maxim card inside. 

The interesting envelope and maxim card are themed on aeronautical and aerospace matters, and beginning by the former it is interesting to see that Julia, who usually sends me her correspondence from the city of Kaluga, managed to find an envelope related to this particular city.

It should also be mentioned that Kaluga bears a deep relation with the history of  space exploration going back to the days of space exploration pioneer theorist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovski, so much so that it is the location of the Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics.

The envelope is illustrated with the logo for the celebrations of the  650 anniversary of the city, in which space exploration is again very much present, the central object of the logo being none other than Sputink, I the first man made satellite to orbit the earth.

On each of the sectors defined by the satellite's antennae, landmarks of the city are included, these being the Gostiny Ryady (a complex of buildings of the XIX century with shops, cafes and restaurants) the Stone Bridge, the History of Cosmonautics Museum and the Local Folklore Museum.

On my search for information I also found out that there is also a satellite named in what I think might also be a way of celebrating the city's anniversary, this being the  Avion-Kaluga 650.

The CubeSat satellite was launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russia, on a soyuz rocket on  27JUN2023 with the aim of "studying the temporal and spectral characteristics of electrons and gamma radiation", whatever that might be....

It is in geostationary orbit at an average height of 554.82 km and an average speed of 27308.65 km/h.

The stamp used on the cover depicts the decoration for the Order of Gagarin, which was established in 2023 and is to be awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to space exploration, scientific research, and technological innovation.

The 90 Ruble stamp is part of a two same face value stamp set issued on 07Mar2024, in a series dedicated to Russian medals and marks of honour.

The decoration features the face of Yuri Gagarin, the first man to travel to space,  in his flying helmet and suit, framed by the Vostok 1 rocket flying towards the stars. 

Inside the envelope Julia kindly sent me a maxim card with Drones as the main subject.

Drones are here to stay! Everyday better and more advanced drones are made and new uses are found for these incredible flying machines.

Unfortunately, not all uses are so innocent as one might be led to think from watching the image on the card of an operator who guides a camera equipped drone, and it is well known the role that these devices play in the ongoing conflicts as vectors of intelligence gathering and precise targeting of human and material resources.

In this sad state of affairs it is expected that research and development as well as  the manufacturing of drones with both civil and  belligerent intent be intensified everywhere in the world and particularly so in those countries which are already using them for military purposes.

On 24SEP2024, Marka issued the 31 ruble stamp used for the maxim card, commemorative of the Russian Unmanned Aviation Systems (UAS) National Project, established on the 1st January 2024, which, according to the stamp release notes, aims at reinforcing the domestic share on the Russian drone market from the current 24% to 72%.

Quoting direct from the said notes: "the postage stamp features operators of unmanned aircraft systems, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles of the BVS VT-45, BVS VT-440 and Geoscan 801 models".

The First day postmark was issued at Kaluga.