Set of 4: Future Mail Transportation 1989 Series

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Fig 1 A NOV USAirmail 45 SATNGTOR NOV 27 U.S 1989 AIL 20066 20th Universal Postal Congress ChusCalle DC USAirmail FigX 45 20h Universr rop gress STON NOV 27 1989 20066 Chis Lalle DC USAirmail 45 20th Universal Po Congress MINGTON NOV 27 1989 20066 Chus Calle DC USAirmail 45 20 Univer Congress ASHINGION NOV 27 1989 VSVN 20066 Chis Calle DC WAS

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FUTURE MAIL TRANSPORTATION First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. If the possibilities of space are developed to their fullest, space shuttles may one day carry mail to people living in huge scientific and industrial communities set up throughout the solar system — and beyond. Assuming it proves possible and profitable to build such communi- ties, exciting new technology might come into use, making space stations the means of expanding new scientific and industrial revolutions. Space stations in near-earth orbit already benefit from low gravity condi- tions, access to the vacuum of space and other extrater- restrial resources. Giant industrial space stations would share these advantages and produce benefits for earth. There would be no need for nuclear power stations on earth, solving problems of radioactive waste disposal, and people would be much less dependent on oil, coal and natural gas, which would create a cleaner world. If the benefits are positive enough to warrant implementa- tion of ideas like industrial colonies in space, mail may indeed one day be posted to interstellar addresses. No. 89-42 ©1989 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Chris Calle FUTURE MAIL TRANSPORTATION First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. Can you imagine a young moon child, nose pressed against space station window glass, anxiously awaiting a birthday gift from grandma? A popular thesis on building communities in outer space suggests a mining colony on the moon to mine aluminum and titanium for structural shells, silicon for solar cells, silica for making glass, and oxygen, the most common element in moonrock, for life- support systems and rocket propellant. These raw mate- rials would supply space station building sites in the furthest reaches of the universe. If such a mining colony were established, “moon miners” would undoubtedly want to keep in touch with family and friends back on earth. And grandmas would definitely want to send packages to grandchildren, even on the moon, so a postal system would be a must. Mail would obviously reach the moon via spacecraft, and once on the moon a lunar rover like the one illustrated on this Maximum Card would take the place of the trusty, earthbound mail jeep to deliver letters and packages to lunar addresses. No. 89-41 ©1989 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Chris Calle FUTURE MAIL TRANSPORTATION First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. Imagine that human space colonies someday dot the universe the way cities dot the earth today. Space travel would become so routine that an interstellar highway system would become necessary to handle the traffic – people would have to be transported from space station to space station, from planet to planet. But that would not be the only kind of traffic generated by space colonies. “Interstellar trucklines" would evolve to carry into space things that colonies would consider necessities, like food, medicine, clothing, and, of course, letters from home. Some people feel that it is quite likely that the day will come when space-age vehicles travel along interstellar highways delivering mail to colonists as close as the moon and as far away as the outer reaches of the universe. This impressive transportation system would carry people, goods and raw materials as well as mail on routes to extraterrestrial destinations, including post offices among the stars. No. 89-40 ©1989 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Chris Calle FUTURE MAIL TRANSPORTATION First Day of Issue: November 27, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. The way mail is delivered in the United States has evolved through the years paralleling innovations in transporta- tion. Inventions like the steamboat, train, automobile and airplane obviously brought about changes in the way mail was delivered. In the same way, it is quite possible that today's developments in space exploration will affect the way mail will be delivered in the future. The twenty- four successful space shuttle missions completed be- tween April, 1981 and January, 1986 carried 126 astro- nauts and payload specialists into orbit, and launched twenty-eight satellites. Further progress on the space shuttle may make it an integral part of the mail delivery system of the future. A letter might be carried by hand to the post office, by mail jeep to the airport, by airplane to the launch site, and from there to its final destination via space shuttle. If this possibility seems unlikely, remember that the idea of sending a letter to the other side of the globe overnight once seemed farfetched, too. Now, people do it every day. No. 89-39 ©1989 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Chris Calle