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Usps - Blog Posts
tryin to uspspspspsps the cat mail van into existence to run over DeJoy
edit: due to a cease and desist this project has ended as of 10/9/2021! Thank you all for your support, we raised nearly $900 for the PERF!
I'm bugging out I hate waiting for packages so much JUST APPEAR AT MY FRONT DOOR ALREADY I HATE WAITING
New Sun Science Stamps from the U.S. Postal Service
To start off the summer, the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of stamps showcasing views of the Sun from our Solar Dynamics Observatory!
Since its launch in 2010, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (or SDO) has kept up a near-constant watch on the Sun from its vantage point in orbit around Earth. SDO watches the Sun in more than 10 different types of light, including some that are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere so can only be seen from space. These different types of light allow scientists to study different parts of the Sun – from its surface to its atmosphere – and better understand the solar activity that can affect our technology on Earth and in space.
The new set of stamps features 10 images from SDO. Most of these images are in extreme ultraviolet light, which is invisible to human eyes.
Let’s explore the science behind some of the stamps!
Coronal hole (May 2016)
The dark area capping the northern polar region of the Sun is a coronal hole, a magnetically open area on the Sun from which high-speed solar wind escapes into space. Such high-speed solar wind streams can spark magnificent auroral displays on Earth when they collide with our planet’s magnetic field.
Solar flare (August 2011)
The bright flash on the Sun’s upper right is a powerful solar flare. Solar flares are bursts of light and energy that can disturb the part of Earth’s atmosphere where GPS and radio signals travel.
Active Sun (October 2014)
This view highlights the many active regions dotting the Sun’s surface. Active regions are areas of intense and complex magnetic fields on the Sun – linked to sunspots – that are prone to erupting with solar flares or explosions of material called coronal mass ejections.
Plasma blast (August 2012)
These images show a burst of material from the Sun, called a coronal mass ejection. These eruptions of magnetized solar material can create space weather effects on Earth when they collide with our planet’s magnetosphere, or magnetic environment – including aurora, satellite disruptions, and, when extreme, even power outages.
Coronal loops (July 2012)
These images show evolving coronal loops across the limb and disk of the Sun. Just days after these images were taken, the Sun unleashed a powerful solar flare.
Coronal loops are often found over sunspots and active regions, which are areas of intense and complex magnetic fields on the Sun.
Sunspots (October 2014)
This view in visible light – the type of light we can see – shows a cluster of sunspots near the center of the Sun. Sunspots appear dark because they are relatively cool compared to surrounding material, a consequence of the way their extremely dense magnetic field prevents heated material from rising to the solar surface.
For more Sun science, follow NASA Sun on Twitter, on Facebook, or on the web.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
Space Stamps
Coming in to a post office near you: new “Views of Our Planets: Forever stamps featuring iconic images of the planets in our solar system, including the well-known “Blue Marble” photo of Earth.
New “Pluto Explored” Forever stamps commemorating the July 2015 flyby of Pluto by our New Horizons spacecraft are also being issued for online purchase.
The May 31 first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Pluto and planetary stamps will be in New York City at the World Stamp Show. This international gathering of stamp collectors occurs only once each decade in the United States, and – with more than 250,000 visitors expected to attend – is the largest stamp show in the world.
The Pluto stamps are of special significance to the New Horizons team, which placed a 20-cent 1991 “Pluto: Not Yet Explored” stamp on board the spacecraft. On July 14, 2015, New Horizons carried the stamp on its history-making journey to Pluto and beyond, as jubilant members of the mission team celebrated with a large print, striking the words “not yet.”
The above pane of 16 Forever stamps, the Postal Service showcases some of the more visually compelling historic, full-disk images of the planets obtained during the last half-centruy of our space exploration. Eight new colorful Forever stamps – each shown twice – feature Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
This isn’t the first time that space has been featured on postal stamps. In the past, many different space images and missions have been highlighted on the tiny pieces of paper you stick on the corner of your mail.
Here’s a look at a few space stamps of the past:
Nebulae
Stamps depicting multiple nebulae seen by the Hubble Space Telescope were released in 2000.
Pioneer 10
Launched in 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to travel through the asteroid belt and obtain close-ups of Jupiter
U.S. Launches Satellites
This stamp, released in 1999, depicts the post World War II race in space exploration.
Alan Shepard: First American in Space
This stamp, released in 2011, featured Alan Shepard, the first American in space. Flying on the Mercury spacecraft, Shepard launched, flew 116 miles high and came back to Earth. His flight lasted about 15 and a half minutes.
MESSENGER Mission
MESSENGER, launching in 2004, was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. This stamp, released in 2011, highlighted this mission and its importance. Understanding Mercury and how it formed is critical to better understanding the conditions on and evolution of the inner planets.
The new “Views of our Planets” stamps will be widely available across the U.S. at post offices and for online purchase beginning May 31. The Pluto – Explored Forever stamps will only be sold online or by calling 800-782-6724.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Next time you're around when the mail gets delivered, ask your delivery person if they're understaffed or not.
But don't hold them up too much, they have a lot of work to do.
I doodled while waiting for a package at the post office, and later on noticed that an employee taped it up on the wall. Of all the art I’ve ever had displayed, this may have warmed my heart the most… for some reason hehe. Merry Christmas!
In 1995 the US Postal Service issued Civil War Commemorative stamps… that’s about the only thing the Federals got right! They even used “War Between the States” in the title of the stamp sheet.
