Set of 4: 1992 Space Exploration Series

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MOSCOW RUSSIA 67, USA NASA Osco RUSSIA FIRST DAY OF 1992 29 ISSUE Diay Elis 092 60607, USA MOSCOW. RUSSIA FIRST DAY OF ISSUE 29 1992 MAY 29, CHICAGO OsCOW. RUSSIA FIRST DAY OF 29 1992 ISSUE Day Elie CCCP MAY 29; CABKOCK MOC NAS ICAGO, 0607, USA MOSCOW, RUSSIA Colembla Co NASA MA MOSCON. RUSSIA FIRST DAY OF 29 1992 ISSUE Den Ellin CHICAGO

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MANNED LUNAR LANDING First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois So near, yet so far, the Moon has beckoned to the men of Earth since the dawn of time. A mere 240,000 miles from Earth, it's right next door by celestial standards. Yet it wasn't until 1969 that men finally reached out and touched the satellite some had said was made of “green cheese." On July 20 of that year, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin radioed back to Earth: “Hous- ton. Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Soon after touchdown, Armstrong stepped out onto the surface of the Moon, saying “That's one small step for a man; a giant leap for mankind." This profound statement was followed by two-and-a-half hours of intense activity outside the Lunar Module as Armstrong and Aldrin gath- ered 45 pounds of rock samples, took dozens of photo- graphs and set up a seismometer to measure “moon quakes." Armstrong, fascinated by the view, took so many snapshots that Mission Control had to remind him four times to get on with his other tasks. No. 92-40 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood, Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Dean Ellis Stamps designed by Robert McCall (USA) and Vladimir Beilin (Russia) Iteetwood APOLLO-SOYUZ First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois July 15, 1975, witnessed the launch of America's final Apollo mission ... the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. While its announced goal was to test a space docking system, Apollo-Soyuz meant much more to the citizens of both nations who wished for better international relations. Launched just a few hours apart on July 15, the American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft took two days to maneuver into position for docking 140 miles above the surface of the Earth. Then, in an intricate series of rocket thrusts, the Apollo docking module successfully latched onto the Soyuz. In a festive atmosphere, astronauts Vance Brand, Donald Slayton and Thomas Stafford greeted cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov, exchanging gifts and remaining together for approxi- mately two days in the joined spacecraft. The next U.S. manned space flight wouldn't take place until six years later, when, on April 12, 1981, the premier launch of Space Shuttle Columbia again brought Americans closer to man's final frontier. No. 92-41 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood, Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Dean Ellis Stamps designed by Robert McCall (USA) and Vladimir Beilin (Russia) Fleetwood SPACE EXPLORATION First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois Once they were rivals in the conquest of space. But today the U.S. and Russia together plan a joint mission to a planet named for the Roman god of war. Mars has long beckoned to the men of Earth, a mysterious ruddy orb in the night sky. Recently, tales of canals and little green men have given way to concrete data from unmanned probes. Drier than any Earthly desert, Mars is still the most likely of the planets to harbor life. Its atmosphere contains oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and even water vapor. And evidence suggests that at one time water flowed there. In fact, scientists theorize Mars once had enough water to cover the entire planet 33 feet deep! The puzzling question remains: Where did it all go? The design of this First Day of Issue Postcard depicts Ameri- cans and Russians together assembling a spacecraft for the hoped-for U.S.-Russia mission to Mars. Perhaps by visiting the Red Planet, we can learn enough to prevent the same type of catastrophe from happening here. No. 92-42 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection ©1992 Fleetwood®, Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Dean Ellis Stamps designed by Robert McCall (USA) and Vladimir Beilin (Russia) Fleetwood SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA First Day of Issue: May 29, 1992 First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois On April 12, 1981 — by chance 20 years to the day after Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space — America's first space shuttle blasted into orbit and into the history books. The launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia was the first time a manned American spacecraft had ever been sent into space without prior unmanned testing. But NASA's confidence in its new shuttle was justified. De- spite a troublesome tendency for exterior heat shield tiles to break loose, Columbia functioned flawlessly. Spa- cious and even luxurious in comparison to earlier space- ships, Columbia was pressurized at 14.7 psi —— the same air pressure experienced at sea level. In addition, tem- peratures were kept comfortably low. During its maiden voyage, astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen circled the Earth 39 times in shirt-sleeved comfort. As hoped for, Columbia was ready to fly again in seven short months, its successful re-launch signalling the beginning of a new era in manned space exploration. No. 92-39 First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™ ©1992 Fleetwood, Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001 Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Dean Ellis Stamps designed by Robert McCall (USA) and Vladimir Beilin (Russia) Fleetwood