Space Shots was a non-sports trading card series produced beginning in 1990 by Space Ventures Inc. of

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Three series of cards were produced from 1990 to 1992, while the last, fourth series (of the intended five) came in two different issues of special 3-D space cards in 1993.

Concept

The card collection was launched in 1990 by Ed White III, son of astronaut Ed White (II), who died in 1967. Space Ventures collected investment capital from several astronauts, including

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

Eugene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, United States naval aviator, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. Cernan traveled into space three times and ...

, and

Jim Lovell James Arthur Lovell Jr. ( ; born March 25, 1928) is an American retired astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he became, with Frank Borman and William Anders, one of the fi ...

, to fund the project.

History

Pack-inserted entry blanks for a “$150,000 Space Trivia Challenge” enticed both young and adult collectors to read the card backs and answer 25 space flight history questions, with entry blanks being sent by mail to those interested. The first 100 people to submit correct answers to 100 trivia questions posed on the first four series of cards were to receive a $1,500 scholarship. The original promo sheet for the first series featured an uncut card sheet of six different card images and featured the pre-printed signatures of Lovell, Cernan, and

Pete Conrad Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer, aviator, and test pilot who commanded the Apollo 12 mission, on which he became the third person to walk on t ...

. The first collectors' edition of 25,000 sets of 110 cards sold out in 10 months. The promo card for the second 110-card series was an uncut six-card sheet signed by Lovell, Bruce McCandless, and cosmonaut

Vladimir Dzhanibekov Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dzhanibekov (, born 13 May 1942) is a retired Soviet Air Force Major General and a cosmonaut veteran of five orbital missions. Biography Dzhanibekov was born Vladimir Aleksandrovich Krysin () in the remote area of Iskand ...

. The series of 100,000 sets was issued in 1991 and was sold for $18 in card shops and by mail. The promo sheet for the third series, entitled the International Edition, featured a packet of nine cards handsigned by Lovell, Dzhanibekov, and

Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin ( ; born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.; January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, engineer and fighter pilot. He made three extravehicular activity, spacewalks as pilot of the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, and was the Lunar Module Eag ...

. Most of the astronauts and cosmonauts eventually left the project. A special edition set, the fourth released, was called "Moon/Mars". This series retailed for $30. The cards were embraced by the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

Controversy

The fifth and final series was never produced. Originally, 25% of every series' profits were designated for the Astronaut Memorial Foundation to build the Center for Space Education at

Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten NASA facilities#List of field c ...

, in exchange for guaranteeing a $160,000 loan. However, the proceeds were never forwarded despite a projected $400,000 being owed to the Foundation. The $150,000 in scholarships for the 100 trivia contest winners was also never awarded. Some astronauts refuse to sign cards from the Space Shots series.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Trading cards Human spaceflight Cultural depictions of astronauts Controversies in the United States