{"id":3369,"date":"2015-12-30T05:47:19","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T10:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/virtualstampclub.com\/lloydblog\/?p=3369"},"modified":"2016-06-01T06:49:14","modified_gmt":"2016-06-01T10:49:14","slug":"pluto-explored-u-s-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/virtualstampclub.com\/lloydblog\/?p=3369","title":{"rendered":"Pluto Explored! (U.S. 2016)"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the first day ceremony May 31: \"planets_unveil\"Left to right, Dr. Dan Durda; Dr. Constantine Tsang; Cindy Conrad; Alice Bowman; Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute; David Williams, COO and Executive VP, USPS; Dr. Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist; Dr. Jim Green, NASA Director of Planetary Science; Delontae Jenkins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Norman Kuring, Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD. (Ceremony photographs courtesy USPS\/Daniel Afzal.)<\/p>\n

[USPS press release; NASA press release below]<\/em>
\nNASA\u2019s Breathtaking Planet Images Get Stamps of Approval<\/strong>
\nPluto\u2014Explored! and Views of Our Planets Forever Stamps Issued<\/p>\n

NEW YORK CITY \u2014 Less than a year following NASA\u2019s nine-year, three-billion plus mile New Horizons mission to explore Pluto, the U.S. Postal Service dedicated Forever stamps to commemorate the historic event, while dedicating a second set of stamps depicting NASA\u2019s stunning images of our planets.<\/p>\n

The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Pluto\u2014Explored! and Views of Our Planets Forever stamps took place before a crowd of 500 at the world\u2019s largest stamp show that only occurs in the United States once a decade, World Stamp Show-NY 2016. The show runs through Saturday. The public is asked to share the news on social media using the hashtags #PlutoExplored and #PlanetStamps. Visit Our Planets Forever Stamps to view images of the stamps and background on the planets.<\/p>\n

\"planets_williams\"\u201cIn 1991, the Postal Service issued a Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp that served as a rallying cry for those who very much wanted to explore it,\u201d said U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams in dedicating the stamps. \u201cAt the time, Pluto was still considered a planet, and it was the only one in our solar system that hadn\u2019t been visited by a spacecraft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pluto is now officially designated as a dwarf planet. The Postal Service is issuing the Pluto\u2014Explored! Souvenir sheet as a companion to the Views of Our Planets stamp pane.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2006,\u201d Williams continued. \u201cNASA placed a 29-cent Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft, which is safe to say, makes it the most widely-traveled stamp in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New Horizons spacecraft, launched into space on the fastest rocket ever built, traveled 3.26 billion miles at a speed exceeding 34,000 m.p.h. to reach Pluto on July 14, 2015. Placing that in perspective, it took three days for Apollo 11 to reach the moon. New Horizons passed the moon in nine hours.<\/p>\n

The Postal Service learned of the 29-cent stamp\u2019s journey aboard New Horizons on the eve of last July\u2019s flyover and quickly put plans into place to set the record straight as noted in NASA\u2019s celebratory photo.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, the Views of Our Planets and Pluto\u2014Explored! stamps will begin their own journeys today \u2014 on letters and packages to millions of homes and businesses throughout \"planets_stofan\"America,\u201d added Williams. \u201cWe trust they\u2019ll find a home in your own collections too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining Williams in the dedication were NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan (right); NASA Director of Planetary Science Dr. Jim Green; Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, Norman Kuring, who created the Earth stamp image; and, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute, Dr. Alan Stern. Honored guests included Astronaut Dr. John Grunsfeld, a veteran of five space shuttle flights who logged 58 days in space, including more than 58 hours of spacewalk time, and Alice Bowman, New Horizons first female Mission Operations Manager.<\/p>\n

\"planets_green\"\u201cThese breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,\u201d said Green (left). \u201cWith the 2015 Pluto flyby, we\u2019ve completed the initial reconnaissance of the solar system, and we\u2019re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"planets_stern2\"\u201cThe 1991 stamp that showed Pluto ‘not yet explored\u2019 highlighted some important, unfinished business for NASA\u2019s first exploration of the planets of our solar system,\u201d said Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator for the New Horizons mission. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled that 25 years later, these new stamps recognize that Pluto has indeed been explored by the New Horizons spacecraft and revealed to be a complex and fascinating world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. Art director Antonio Alcal\u00e1 of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.<\/p>\n

The Pluto\u2014Explored! Forever stamps will only be available online at usps.com\/shop<\/a> or by calling 800-782-6724.<\/p>\n

[NASA press release]<\/em>
\nNew Pluto and Planetary Stamps Wow at World Stamp Show<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breathtaking images of Pluto and the planets are getting a stamp of approval from the U.S. Postal Service, which unveiled striking new Forever stamps at the World Stamp Show NY-2016 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"planets_stofan2\"\u201cThe issuing of these \u2018Views of our Planets\u2019 and \u2018Pluto Explored\u2019 stamps has special significance for NASA, since this represents the culmination of a half-century of space exploration,\u201d said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. \u201cWith the July 14, 2015 flyby of Pluto, we\u2019ve completed the checklist of all the classical planets and can now declare\u2014\u2018mission accomplished.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Joining Stofan in delivering remarks were NASA\u2019s Director of Planetary Science Jim Green, New Horizons\u2019 Principal Investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and Norman Kuring, oceanographer at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland\u2014creator of the iconic \u201cBl\"planets_autos\"ue Marble\u201d image of Earth.<\/p>\n

The crowd of about 500 philatelists cheered as Stofan quipped, \u201cI may have to stop emailing and start writing letters again.\u201d<\/p>\n

In dedicating the stamps, U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams noted, \u201cIn 2006, NASA placed a 29-cent \u2018Pluto: Not Yet Explored\u2019 stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft, which \u2013 it is safe to say \u2013 makes it the most widely-traveled stamp in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"planets_autos_nasa2\"The 45-minute ceremony was followed by an autograph session, in which speakers and VIPs signed first day of issue programs for hundreds of stamp enthusiasts\u2014the line snaking through the hallways of the Javits Center in New York City (Photos above (USPS), left, and below (NASA)). \"planets_autos_nasa\"The planetary stamps are now being sold at most U.S. post offices. The Pluto\u2014Explored! Forever stamps are available online or by calling 800-782-6724.<\/p>\n

\"planets_green\"\u201cThese breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,\u201d said Green (left). \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Updated April 29th:<\/strong> The first day postmarks: \"pluto_dcp_vsc\"The DCP measures 2.51\u201d x 1.38\u201d \"pluto_bw_vsc\"The pictorial measures 2.19 x 1.17\u201d<\/p>\n

Updated April 29th<\/strong>, from the Postal Bulletin<\/em>:
\n\"s_pluto\"On May 31, 2016, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service\u00ae will issue the Pluto \u2013 Explored! stamps (Forever\u00ae priced at 47 cents) in two designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of four stamps (Item 586600). The Pluto \u2013 Explored! pane of stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.<\/p>\n

The stamps will go on sale nationwide May 31, 2016.<\/p>\n

With this issuance, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes the history-making first reconnaissance of Pluto in 2015 by NASA\u2019s New Horizons mission. The Pluto\u2014Explored! souvenir sheet contains two new stamps (each appear twice on the sheet). The first stamp shows an artist\u2019s rendering of the New Horizons spacecraft. The second shows the spacecraft\u2019s striking image of Pluto taken near closest approach. The view \u2014 which is color-enhanced to highlight surface texture and composition \u2014 is a composite of four images from New Horizons\u2019 Long Range Reconnaissance Imager, combined with color data from the imaging instrument, Ralph. It clearly reveals the now-famous heart-shaped feature (informally called Tombaugh Regio) that measures about 1,000 miles across at its widest point. The stamp issuance includes verso text. Art director Antonio Alcal\u00e1 designed the souvenir sheet.<\/p>\n

Initial Supply to Post Offices: Item 586600, $1.88, Pluto \u2013 Explored! (Forever priced at 47 cents) Commemorative PSA Pane of Four Stamps
\nStamp Fulfillment Services will not make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices\u2122. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps prior to the FDOI through SFS Web.<\/p>\n

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:<\/strong>
\nCustomers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store\u00ae website at http:\u2044\u2044www.usps.com\u2044shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to \"s_pluto\"envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:<\/p>\n

Pluto \u2013 Explored! Stamps
\nSpecial Events Coordinator
\n380 West 33rd Street
\nNew York, NY 10199-9998<\/b><\/p>\n

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service\u2122 will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by July 31, 2016.<\/p>\n

There are nine philatelic products<\/strong> for this stamp issue:<\/p>\n