July 15, 2004
Licking the Moon
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Image Credit: Chuck Wood |
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Licking the Moon During the 1960s and 70s the space race competition was played out not only with rockets and probes but also with stamps. And the winner here was clear - the Soviet Union and its Eastern Europe colonies issued hundreds to thousands of different colorful and fascinating space stamps. This 1971 souvenir sheet from Hungary is an wonderful example and another mini-lesson in space science. The two blue stamps show the trajectory of Luna 17 from Earth launch to landing on the Moon on November 17, 1970. The orange-red stamp shows the landed spacecraft carrying the Lunokhod 1 rover and dual off ramps. In purple, the Jules Verne-like Lunokhod is seen traversing tough terrain. Lunar stamp collecting is a great hobby and the stamps are more abundant and cheaper (usually!) than lunar books and maps. For more lunar stamps see my post-1958 entries in the Timeline section of Exploring the Moon or visit eBay. Technical Details: Related Links: Yesterday's LPOD: Jim and Davy Tomorrow's LPOD: Raisin Pits |
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