In celebration of fifty years of American space exploration, the U.S. Postal Service has released two first-class “forever” stamps created by multiple Hugo award winning artist Donato Giancola depicting Alan Shepherd’s historic flight on May 5, 1961 and NASA’s unmanned MESSENGER mission that investigates the planet Mercury.
Donato (who started school as an engineering student) has fostered a life-long love of space exploration. “It is an honor and thrill to have created these stamps celebrating space exploration and technology through individual achievements and the hard work of countless engineers and scientists… Astronauts like Alan Shepard have inspired a new generation to push the limits of our science and make the dreams of the future a reality. ”
Illustrators often feel an extra thrill when working for the U.S. Postal Service, as their work immediately becomes part of American history. Congratulations to Donato for this honor.
