Front:
MOSCOW. RUSSIA
Colreble
do
NASA
IL 60607
MA
MOSCO
RUSSIA
FIRST
29 1992
DAY OF
ISSUE
DuEllin
Back:
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
