Spacefest 2007: Meeting the Explorers of the Last Frontier
By Mark J. Gross
Ground control calling fellow space enthusiasts and fans. In August I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona, to attend the first ever Spacefest convention, which was orchestrated by space autograph dealer and artist Kim Poor and his wife Sally. They brought together one of the largest gatherings of astronauts to be found at any event in the U.S. Here, a collection of like-minded individuals, who feel our space program should continue to move forward, came together to exchange autographs and discuss the issues of space exploration. It was phenomenally galactic!
The convention offered astronauts the opportunity to chat with fans about their adventures, and to put their signatures on collectibles and memorabilia. These space travelers, who convened to meet, greet and sign for fans, are no less than legends of our history, and I was lucky enough to interview many of the them. Just to be in the same room with these NASA pioneers—including astronauts who have walked on the moon and flew in space, not to mention the amount of scientists and space artists—was incredible.
Ed Mitchell, one of my personal favorite Moonwalkers, shared his thoughts inspired by traveling to the moon and back. “Solving the problems of who we are, how we got here and where we are going are important to our sustainability. But so are learning and the ability to treat each other better. That’s fundamental.”
Mitchell’s wisdom was not lost on the huge numbers of space fans who came out to share a vision of autograph obsession. I have never seen so many autograph collectors bringing their own rare and unique items to be signed. There were folks from almost every state here to collect something hand-signed or just shake hands with these heroic icons and chat for a brief moment. I spoke with several of these fans, many who have been collecting space exploration items for 30-plus years. This is the first show I have seen where fans brought suitcases full of items to be autographed. Many invested thousands of dollars in signing fees over the course of the weekend. Astronauts charged anywhere from $50 to $200 per signature, depending on the item and the astronaut. But how often does a group like this get together?
The dealers were in the same area as the guest signers, which was great. Watching people line up to get memorabilia signed gave you a great view of all the collectibles out there. If you wanted some of your own, you could simply walk up to a dealer, find a great item and walk it over to get hand-signed by icons of space history.
I have attended tons of autograph shows, but this one had all the fans really buzzing. Throughout the main hall, everyone was showing off their own collectibles to other fans, and all were chatting with such upbeat and excited reverence. It was like a huge party. I took a break from the festivities to speak with Carolyn Porco, head of the current Saturn Cassini mission, about how this kind of excitement fuels the future of space exploration. “What better way to encourage peaceful interaction with other nations than to take on a big monumental endeavor like this one,” she told me.
Many things were happening at the convention simultaneously. There were guest talks and, of course, the huge signing hall, in addition to a dealer’s area and an art show. Many of the space artists were painting and creating art at a huge table in front of the art room. There was also a sit-down area, off to the side, where fans were sitting and pulling out their memorabilia for each other to see. And tons of fans could be seen at any time during the convention talking, sharing and showing their exhilaration to be here.