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With the advent of unmanned and manned space flight a new era of American history had presented itself. Keeping with the tradition of honoring the country's history on U.S. postage stamps, the U.S. Post Office began honoring the various events with its commemorative postage stamp issues. The first U.S. Postage issue to depict a space vehicle was issued in 1948, the Fort Bliss issue. The first issue to commemorate a space project by name was the ECHO I communications satellite commemorative issue of 1960. The next was the Project Mercury issue of 1962. As U.S. space exploration progressed a variety of other commemorative issues followed, many of which bear accurate depictions of satellites, space capsules, lunar modules, space suits, and other items of interest.〔Scotts Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps〕 Space explorations history is a popular topic, as record numbers of First-Day covers for postage stamps with space themes will attest. The Project Mercury issue of 1962 had more than three million 'First Day of Issue' cancellations, while the average number of First-Day cancels for other commemorative issues at that time was around 500,000. In 1969, the Apollo VIII issue received 900,000 First-Day cancels while others received less than half this amount.〔Scott's, USA. - First Day Covers index〕 As the advent of U.S. space exploration grew, so did the topic of Space Exploration on stamps. ==Fort Bliss 100th Anniversary Issue of 1948== Fort Bliss has a long and diverse history and functioned in many capacities over the years. By February 1946, over 100 Operation Paperclip scientists had arrived from Nazi Germany to develop rockets and were attached to the Office of the Chief of Ordnance Corps, Research and Development Service, Suboffice (Rocket), headed by Major James P. Hamill.〔McGovern, J (1964). Crossbow and Overcast. New York: W. Morrow. pp. 209–210,233,246.〕 This stamp was issued on the 100th anniversary of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, in its honor. Third Assistant Postmaster General Joseph L. Lawler dedicated the stamp in El Paso on November 5, 1948.〔Smithsonian National Postal Museum〕 The issue depicts what appears to be a rocket designed after the V-2 in the center, which technically makes it a "space stamp" in the Topographical world of philately. Based on findings made by Dr. Robert Goddard following World War I, the Germans hit a peak production of V-2's during 1944 and 1945 at Peenemunde.〔(White Sands Missile Range )〕 When they arrived in the United States, at Fort Bliss, they brought with them the knowledge of the V-2, and as such, the U.S. made arrangements with these scientists and employed their knowledge in developing rockets at Fort Bliss in Post War United States.〔https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ww2/OperationPaperclip.html Operation Paper Clip, Jewish Virtual library〕 It was this effort that led the way to the successful production of the great rockets that carried satellites and Astronauts into space. The stamp's designer, Charles R. Chickering, intended the issue to salute the old as well as the new Fort Bliss and portray some of the highlights of the Fort's hundred-year history. Chickering, of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, designed the stamp. C.A. Brooks engraved the vignette, and A.W. Christensen engraved the border, the lettering, and the numerals.〔 The quantity issued was 64,561,000.〔Scotts Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps:Quantities Issued〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「U.S. space exploration history on U.S. stamps」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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