Royal Mail stamps celebrate Britain's contribution to space exploration
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Version 0 of 1. Royal Mail celebrates Britain's contribution to space exploration with its latest set of commemorative stamps. Due to be issued on 16 October, the six stamps all feature images from European Space Agency missions. From skimming Saturn's rings to keeping a watchful eye on the sun, from visiting our neighbouring worlds to flying by the "failed planet" of asteroid Lutetia, Britain now performs most of its space exploration through Esa. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Britain's space exploration effort. On 26 April 1962, its first satellite, Ariel 1, was launched by Nasa. It carried scientific experiments designed by British universities and turned Britain into the world's third spacefaring nation, after Russia and America. Now, space projects contribute £9.1bn to this country's economy every year. They employ nearly 30,000 people and according to figures from the UK Space Agency the space sector is growing at a rate of 7.5% per year. I was approached earlier this year by Royal Mail to write the presentation packs to be issued with these stamps. Seeing the images together made me appreciate that they represent more than just scientific value. They are also works of art. No longer do we peer at grainy pictures of remote planets trying to make sense of them. Now we see them as different worlds in vibrant colour, each unique and each with a story to tell. Royal Mail is no stranger to issuing stamps based upon astronomy. Yet in the past, the stamps have often featured art inspired by the theme of space, such as the Astronomy set in 1990, or 1991's Europe in Space. Only since the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993, have full sets been comprised of actual astronomical images, mostly of distant nebulae. This latest is the first set to feature a full complement of planetary images. If you imagine the cost of these missions divided by the number of amazing images they take, each of these views is worth the same as a great work of art hanging in a gallery. Nowhere, however, does Royal Mail say how much it costs to post a parcel to these worlds; surely a missed chance to extend business? <em>Stuart Clark is the author of Voyager: 101 Wonders Between Earth and the Edge of the Cosmos</em> |