U.S. Postal Service to Issue OSIRIS-REx Stamp
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --
What: |
The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and the samples of the asteroid Bennu that it will deliver to Earth in September 2023.
The first-day-of-issue event for this Forever stamp is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #OSIRISRExStamp. |
|
Who: |
Robert Raines, Business Solutions vice president, U.S. Postal Service
Lori Glaze, Planetary Science Division director, NASA
Michael Puzio, Engineering student who named the asteroid Bennu in 2013 at age 8. |
|
When: |
Friday, Sept. 22, at 11 a.m. MDT |
|
Where:
|
110 S 400 W Salt Lake City, UT 84101 |
|
RSVP: |
Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/osirisrex |
|
Background: |
This new 20-stamp pane from the U.S. Postal Service celebrates NASA's seven-year OSIRIS-REx mission to study and map the asteroid Bennu and return a sample of the surface to Earth in September 2023. This is the first pristine sample of an asteroid collected by the United States, and it will help scientists learn how our solar system formed.
The stamp artwork shows the capsule containing the sample parachuting to the Utah Test and Training Range, a U.S. Department of Defense facility in the desert. A depiction of Bennu's surface appears at the bottom of the pane's selvage with outer space above — deep blue and dappled with celestial bodies. A view of the asteroid is in the upper right corner.
OSIRIS-REx left Earth aboard a rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, on Sept. 8, 2016, then orbited the sun for a year before passing close to Earth for a gravity assist. The spacecraft arrived in the asteroid's vicinity in December 2018 and got to work. With its special cameras and spectrometers, it began photographing and mapping Bennu's surface to determine the best site from which to collect samples.
The time for the rendezvous arrived in October 2020. To carry out its task, the spacecraft did not actually land on the asteroid but instead slowly descended toward the surface and extended a robotic arm. A collection device at the hand-end of the arm then released a sudden puff of nitrogen gas that sent up a cloud of dust and rocks from Bennu's surface. More than 2 ounces of these materials were captured in a special container in the collection device, which then closed and retracted into the spacecraft. On May 10, 2021, OSIRIS-REx began its flight back toward Earth. Its container of asteroid dust and rocks, enclosed in a special capsule, will parachute to the Utah desert on Sept. 24, 2023.
Alan Dingman illustrated the stamp and pane, basing his work on images supplied by NASA. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp and pane.
The OSIRIS-REx stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate. |
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at select Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon.
Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.
Contact: James McKean
[email protected]
usps.com/news
SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article