On April 29th Isle of Man Post Office issues a set of eight stamps to commemorate the semi centennial of the first manned flight to land on the Moon.
On May 5, 1961, four months after John F. Kennedy became president, Alan Shephard became the first American in space, however this was three weeks after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth. Kennedy needed to be bold and in a speech to Congress stated "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth." The Apollo Program was born and the "Great Adventure" began.
Isle of Man Post Office proudly presents an impressive set of eight stamps covering the Apollo Missions with spectacular NASA photographs of the Moon itself as well as all the missions that led up to that 'One Small Step'. The stamps show the beauty of space, the Moon and the vehicles that took humanity to the Moon. Through subtle references and codes on the stamps (and within NASA guidelines), the incredible NASA staff in Mission Control, the astronauts, the programs directors and those who gave their lives are included in this stunning testimony of the lunar exploration.
George Abbey, who worked with NASA during the Apollo missions and was director of the Johnson Space Center during the NASA Shuttle – Mir Program, said:" The stamps are truly outstanding and I am sure they will be well received"
Former NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott, wife of Manxman Chris Stott who spent a total of over 100 days in space during her two missions, said: "50 years ago this July two people stepped out onto the Moon, humanity's first footsteps on another planetary body watched by the then largest television audience in history. Humanity came together crossing all boundaries for a few fleeting moments. The actions of these two men were supported by thousands more men and women on the ground. Many missions came before and came after Apollo 11. Now 50 years on we are only just now beginning to take those very same steps again, but this time we stay for good and like before for the good of all."
Maxine Cannon, Isle of Man Stamps & Coins General Manager said: "The Moon landing and the Apollo program were milestones in the history of space travel and therefore deserve to be commemorated. We are very proud to honour the anniversary of the Moon landing with these impressive pictures captured on our stamps and are grateful to NASA and George Abbey in particular, for their support and assistance in bringing this collection to life."
The 'One Small Step' collection is available as Set and Sheet Set, A5 Sheetlet, Presentation Pack, First Day Cover and a Prestige Booklet. For further information, please see www.iompost.com/moonlanding.