<\/a>The 50th anniversary of America\u2019s first manned spaceflight and an unmanned spacecraft currently charting planet Mercury were commemorated today on two 44-cent First-Class Forever stamps. The dedication ceremony took place next to a seven-story replica of the rocket Alan Shepard piloted to become America\u2019s first man in space. A second stamp celebrates the MESSENGER Mission spacecraft that is currently orbiting and charting planet Mercury.<\/p>\n \u201cThese two historic missions \u2014 Shepard\u2019s Mercury flight that took place 50 years ago tomorrow, and MESSENGER\u2019s current orbiting of Mercury \u2014 frame a remarkable 50-year span in which America has advanced space exploration through more than 1,500 manned and unmanned flights,\u201d said Stephen Masse, U.S. Postal Service vice president, finance and planning, in dedicating the stamps. \u201cThe Postal Service is proud to commemorate these achievements on stamps.\u201d<\/p>\n Joining Masse in the dedication was Laura Shepard Churchley, Shepard\u2019s daughter; Scott Carpenter, Mercury astronaut; Charles Bolden, NASA administrator and former Space Shuttle commander; Robert Cabana, former Space Shuttle commander and current director, Kennedy Space Center; and, Jim Adams, NASA deputy director, Planetary Science.<\/p>\n \u201cThese stamps, which will go out by the millions across this country, are a testament to the thousands of NASA men and women who shared dreams of human spaceflight and enlarging our knowledge of the universe,\u201d said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.<\/p>\n Project Mercury<\/strong> Emboldened by this achievement, President John F. Kennedy declared in a historic speech on May 25, 1961, that America \u201cshould commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mercury project set the country on a path that would lead to the stunning Apollo 11 moon landing eight years later on July 20, 1969, a crowning technological achievement of the 20th century.<\/p>\n MESSENGER<\/strong> Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on Aug. 3, 2004, the spacecraft made six \u201cflybys\u201d of planets, including one of Earth, two of Venus, and three of Mercury. The flybys were done to collect data, to conserve fuel through gravity assists, and to make adjustments critical to achieving the precise trajectory for successfully inserting the spacecraft into orbit around Mercury.<\/p>\n Entering orbit in March 2011 represented a major milestone in space exploration. The data obtained by MESSENGER before and during the year-long orbit will be analyzed for many years to come. Scientists think the data may explain how the planet took shape and also offer clues about the origin of the solar system.<\/p>\n Creating the Stamps <\/strong> The Project Mercury and MESSENGER Mission Stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.<\/p>\n Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks <\/strong> <\/strong> Mercury Project\/MESSENGER Mission Stamp After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by July 3, 2011.<\/p>\n How to Order First-Day Covers<\/strong> Information Fulfillment Ordering the stamps and related products<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL \u2014 The Postal Service dedicated two stamps today commemorating two historic events \u2014 one that occurred a half century ago, and the second that\u2019s making history now. The 50th anniversary of America\u2019s first manned spaceflight and an unmanned spacecraft currently charting planet Mercury were commemorated today on two 44-cent First-Class Forever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52,"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49\/revisions\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/motleycrowd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/pr11_044.png\" "\\"Mercury")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nAs the world watched on television, Shepard blasted off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on May 5, 1961. The flight reached a maximum speed of 5,100 mph, roughly eight times the speed of sound, and a zenith of 116 miles above the Earth. With parachutes deploying, the space capsule safely splashed down in the Atlantic some 300 miles from the launch site. The\u00a0New York Times<\/em> declared that Shepard\u2019s 15-minute flight \u201croused the country to one of its highest peaks of exultation since the end of World War II.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nOn March 17, 2011, MESSENGER became the first spacecraft to enter into orbit around Mercury. MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) is a scientific mission to investigate Mercury, which some scientists say is \u201cthe least-studied terrestrial planet\u201d in our solar system.<\/p>\n
\nDonato Giancola of Brooklyn, NY, illustrated the stamps under the direction of Phil Jordan of Falls Church, VA, who based the artwork on NASA photographs and images. The phrase \u201cMercury Project,\u201d depicted on the stamp image was approved by NASA officials who indicate the term is used interchangeably with \u201cProject Mercury\u201d as noted in the text on the back of the stamp sheet. The MESSENGER Mission stamp depicts the MESSENGER spacecraft orbiting Mercury.<\/p>\n
\nCustomers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at local Post Offices, at The Postal Store website at\u00a0www.usps.com\/shop<\/a><\/em>, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:<\/p>\n
\n1538 Harrison St.
\nTitusville, FL \u00a032780<\/p>\n
\nThe Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly\u00a0USA Philatelic<\/em>Catalog<\/em>. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:<\/p>\n
\nDept. 6270
\nU.S. Postal Service
\nPO Box 219014
\nKansas City, MO\u00a0 64121-9014<\/p>\n
\nIn addition to the stamps, there are five philatelic products available for this\u00a0stamp<\/a><\/em> issue. Also, customers can order all stamps and products online at\u00a0www.usps.com\/shop<\/a><\/em>,<\/em> by calling 1-800 STAMP-24, or by using the mail-in order form in the\u00a0USA Philatelic Catalog<\/em>. Customers can subscribe to the catalog at\u00a0www.beyondtheperf.com<\/a>,\u00a0www.usps.com\/shop<\/a>,<\/em> or by calling 1-800 STAMP-24.<\/p>\n\n