Stamp Profile

From PRIME to Space Shuttle

Marshall Islands

Issue Date: 23/12/1988

This issue is a three-fold commemorative of Kwajalein's historic role in the US space program: the 30th anniversary of NASA, the civilian National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the 25th Anniversary of Project PRIME. The US Air Force's hypersonic flight test Precision Recovery Including Maneuvering Entry program, which held a key to the design of the future Space Shuttle; and the September 29, 1988 launching of Shuttle Discovery, the rebirth of America's manned space program.

Ever since the 1950s the highly sophisticated tracking and communications facilities at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands have been essential to America's worldwide tracking network. The atoll's isolated location freed it from snooping eyes and radio interference; and being off shipping lanes, it provided ample open water for safe reentry of space vehicles. Today it is still an important facility in control of Space Shuttle missions.

In the 1960s NASA and the US Air Force engaged in parallel programs to find the optimum design for a rocket-powered aerospace plane, each pursuing separate lifting-body research, then eventually combining programs to culminate in the shuttle. True lifting bodies are wingless vehicles that rely for their aerodynamic lift on the shape of the underbelly, without conventional wings, which would be torn off during reentry. The US Space Shuttle, as well as those being developed by France and USSR. are essentially lifting bodies with vestigial wings to provide a better landing flare maneuver.

The Air Force launched its research with START (Spacecraft Technology and Advanced Re-entry Test) in 1961. Following the 1963 wind tunnel tests of its advanced phase, called PRIME, the Air Force publicly announced in 1964 the initiation of the PRIME mission with the Martin Marietta Corp.: to design, build and test materials for hypersonic lifting-body reentry vehicles. Specifically, PRIME SV-5D was designed to be maneuverable during reentry and to be recoverable.

Key to the program was getting a prototype vehicle into space and determining if its shape could survive the heat of reentry, maneuver to a landing point off the ballistic path it was launched upon, and keep its crew alive. Three PRIME SV-5Ds were launched, all successfully from Vandenberg APB atop a Convair Atlas, to near orbital speed, downward range to Kwajalein: #1 on Dec. 21, 1966; #2 on Mar. 5, 1967; and #3 on Apr. 18, 1967.

From the moment of launch, control of each mission passed to Kwajalein. Technicians at Kwaj controlled and tracked operation o29/08/06the SV-5D in space using its own onboard rockets, and adjusted the flight path to achieve a pin-point landing off the beaches of Kwajalein. While all three launches were successful, only vehicle #3 was recovered. Tracking and recovery ships of the US space command and helicopters permanently based at Kwaj effected recovery and returned the vehicle to laboratories on Kwajalein for initial inspection. After thorough study of the vehicle and analysis of data, the Air Force pronounced the program a complete success and placed the SV-5D on public display at the Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson APB, Ohio. A fourth vehicle that had been readied was never launched. a follow-up mission was declared redundant; manned testing was commenced.

From Project PRIME, with the attribute of maneuverability during reentry proven at Kwajalein, and its pioneering work in ablatives and internal steam cooling, grew the manned X-24A rocket plane and the X-24B rocket-powered, one-man prototype of the Space Shuttle. The X-24B in particular was used as a test bed to train pilots in the most critical part of a Shuttle mission - landing a space plane with poor aerodynamic characteristics dead-stick. Techniques learned from these tests were used in training Shuttle pilots.

This issue is the second in a series of Marshall Islands stamps highlighting Kwajalein's impact on space exploration. (The 1985 issue honored participation in the International Halley Watch.) The 4-stamp strip depicts the PRIME launch from Vandenberg, Calif., the SV-5D glowing red hot during re-entry, recovery off the beach at Kwajalein, and Shuttle Discovery in orbit while under communications control from Kwajalein. The' single airmail stamp, based on an official NASA photograph, depicts the Space Shuttle and a space-walking astronaut in orbit over Rongelap Atoll.

William R. Hanson, NASA's Lunar Artist-Apollo 16, designed this and the Halley issue. The House of Questa, London, again did the printing.

© 1968 Marshall Islands Philatelic Bureau. Printed in U.S.A.

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25th Anniversary of Harry Bayley Observatory

Barbados

Issue Date: 28/11/1988

It was as late as 1840 that the eminent astronomer Francois Arago maintained the probability of a cool region beneath the surface of the sun where life might exist. Astronomy seems to have combined observation and imagination for much of its history. The builders of The Great Pyramid possessed considerable astronomical knowledge, as did the Arabs who used it both in the development of astrological charts and maps.

Thales is reputed to have brought astronomy from Egypt to Greece in about 650BC (He is also recorded as having fallen down a well while walking along stargazing). The greatest of Greek astronomers was Hipparchus of Alexandria about whose theories, the Almagest of Ptolemy; the standard astronomical authority for 1,400 years was written. Such names as Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo and Newton, all contributed to the development of the science bringing it to the beginning of the modern era.

Released on 28 November from Barbados is a set of stamps marking the 25 years of operation of the small Harry Baley observatory, a period in which any new discoveries have been made. The stamps had been designed by Josephine Martin of the Garden Studio and are printed in lithography by Walsall Security Printers Ltd.

Shown on the 25c design is a portrait of the founder; Harry Baley; the observatory, the crescent moon and Venus. The latter is the most brilliant of the planets - with probably the most totally hostile environment anywhere! At one time it was thought that Venus was covered with luxurious, primitive vegetation and vast seas supporting basic life forms. In fact it has a surface temperature of about 500C (the rocks glow red at night). The pressure of the atmosphere, of carbon dioxide, is ninety times greater than that of the earth and the continuous cloud cover contains sulphuric acid! Thunder and lightning is continuous —hardly the place for your annual holiday — even Skegness would be better!

The 65c design again shows the Harry Bayley observatory, superimposed on a circular map of Barbados against a background of the night sky. The constellations Polaris and Crux are shown in silver, as is the inscription, "From the North Star to the Southern Cross".

The Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object clearly visible with the naked eye — a mere 2.2 million light years away. It is shown in the background of the 75c design.

The $2 design shows some stars from the Orion constellation. Betelgeuse is an orange—red star, far older and greater in size than the sun. It’s name probably derives from the Arabic "Bay-tell—jurz" meaning "Armpit of the Central One". In five billion years time, our own sun will be a Red Giant too, swallowing up Mercury and Venus - and probably the Earth, after the oceans have boiled away and all life forms (including stamp-collectors) have long since deceased or taken to their escape.

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Europe in Space

Hungary

Issue Date: 20/04/1991

When Hungary was admitted to CEPT it was decided to issue a set of two stamps for the Europa issue with the topic of Space Research, The two stamps were issued on the 30th April 1991 with a face value of 12 and 30 Forints.

The stamp with a face value of 12ft, depicts the ULYSSES satellite put into orbit on the 6th October 1990, which was directed to the planet Jupiter. The Ulysses furnished with instruments built by European and American experts will fly 430,000 km and fly by Jupiter in February 1992 and later it will study the environment of the Southern and Northern poles of the Sun.

 

 

The stamp with 30ft face value depicts the space satellites Cassini and Huygens, which are designed and built collectively by American and West European experts. According to the plans they should start from the Earth in 1996 with the following missions: the Cassini will study Saturn, and Huygens would descend into the atmosphere of the largest moon of Saturn, i.e. into the atmosphere of the Titan and would carry out research there,

All three-space satellites will improve knowledge of mankind on the giant planets and the exterior regions of the solar system.

(Information supplied by Entreprise 0. La Post. Hongroise and Harry Allen International Philatelic Distributors to the Hungarian Post Office)

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Europe in Space

Cyprus

Issue Date: 06/05/1991

The comets and a number of aseroids are believed to consist of the remnants from the time of the Genesis of our Solar System. Comets are located in three zones in relation to the Sun, the inner zone (Quiper), the Median zone and the outer zone (Oort). When a disturbance occurs in the Oort either because of an approaching star or more likely when the Solar System passes through the plane of the Galaxy every 33 million years, then the comets are launched in elliptical orbits round the Sun.

7 CENT STAMP. It depicts the European spaceship 'Ulysses' weighing 370 kg, which was launched in October 1990 from Spaceplane 'Atlantis', Ulysses will study the North and South poles of the Sun and all the Geographical latitudinal zones, with the exception of the Equatorial Zone, which can be studied from Earth. This would be made possible by using gravity pull exerted on the spaceship when it passes close to Jupiter in February 1992. Thus it will be able to escape from the Elliptical orbit. In this way, the Solar wind will be studied. The Solar wind consists of electrically charged particles, which escape the Suns gravity pull with supersonic velocities. It will also study cosmic rays, that is high energy charged particles moving, at close to the speed of light and originating from explosions in distant suns. The most interesting experiment of Ulysses exploration is the tracing of gravity waves, which travel in space and are the result of either Supernova explosions or the collapse of galaxy cores into huge black holes. These gravity waves have been predicted by Einstein's relativity theory, consequently in case such waves are detected, their discovery would be a major event.

18 CENT STAMP. It depicts the European spaceship 'Giotto', whose objective was the tracking of the famous 'Halley's Comet'. The launch was made by an Ariane rocket from the Kourou launching site in French Guiana on 2 July 1985. The meeting with the Comet took place on 14 March 1986 at a distance of 375 miles. Giotto's sensory instruments sent back a wealth of information on, for example, the comets core estimated to measure 15km, as well as its make up, which consists mainly of ice and other solidified gases as well as meteoric material. The processing of information will take years to complete. Giotto has remained in a kind of dormancy since 1986. It is already getting prepared, however for a new assignment - the meeting with the Comet 'Grig-Skiellerap' in 1992.

(This article was kindly supplied by Cyprus Postal Services)

 

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