1985 Player's : Tom Thumb Exploration of Space
The Tom Thumb Exploration of Space series was issued in 1985 by John
Player & Sons, Imperial Group PLC. The 32-card series was distributed with
Tom Thumb brand cigars in England. The
Tom Thumb Exploration of Space collector album was available for free
by mail order.
The series showcases the history of space exploration from the flight of Yuri
Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 to the inaugural flight of Space Shuttle
Columbia STS-1. The album foreword and image captions were authored by H. J. P. Arnold, a prominent curator of space photography.
Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong is pictured inside of the Lunar Module Eagle after exploring the Moon on July 20, 1969. The photograph was taken by Lunar Module Pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
| Checklist | |
| 1 | Explorer 1 |
| 2 | Sputnik 3 |
| 3 | Yuri Gagarin |
| 4 | Telstar |
| 5 | Space Walk |
| 6 | "Angry Alligator" |
| 7 | Apollo Tests in Orbit |
| 8 | Apollo 9 CM |
| 9 | Moon Lift-off |
| 10 | Neil Armstrong |
| 11 | "Buzz" Aldrin |
| 12 | Lunar Experiments |
| 13 | Leaving the Moon |
| 14 | Moon Rover |
| 15 | Lunar Surface |
| 16 | Apollo 17 Return |
| 17 | Skylab |
| 18 | Weightless Conditions |
| 19 | Apollo/Soyuz Mission |
| 20 | Soyuz Spacecraft |
| 21 | Space Shuttle Launch |
| 22 | Columbia Landing |
| 23 | The Sun |
| 24 | Comet Kohoutek |
| 25 | Mars |
| 26 | Venus |
| 27 | Volcano on Io |
| 28 | Saturn |
| 29 | Earth |
| 30 | London Infra-red |
| 31 | Nimbus Colour Image |
| 32 | Future Space Station |