Total Eclipse of the Sun, the new stamp that celebrates next week’s total solar eclipse, isn’t the Postal Service’s only astronomical connection. Here are five more, courtesy of “The list.”
1. Mail has been postmarked on the moon! In 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts cancelled envelopes on the moon while USPS issued its Space Achievement stamps some 238,000 miles away on Earth.
2. One stamp traveled more than 3 billion miles through space. Affixed to the New Horizons Pluto exploration spacecraft, a Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp set a 2016 Guinness world record for the farthest distance traveled by a postage stamp.
3. Many other space stamps have been issued. Examples include stamps that honor space exploration, telescopes and satellites.
4. Three words: “Pets in space.” To mark the turn of the millennium, USPS sponsored a stamp design contest for children based on their visions of a future that included people — and pets — in space.
5. Mail helped save “Star Trek.” A 1967 letter-writing campaign by fans kept the original interstellar television series from being axed, allowing the franchise to continue to live long and prosper.
A National Postal Museum online exhibit highlights more space-related stamps through 2000. Got ideas for future editions of “The list?” Email them to uspslink@usps.gov.