Two brand-new Priority Mail stamps honouring NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope the biggest, most powerful, and most intricate telescope ever launched into space have been released by the USPS. The stamps, which were released on January 22, showcase photos of the universe taken by Webb since the spacecraft’s 2022 science mission launch. NASA is leading the Webb project in collaboration with the CSA and the European Space Agency (ESA) (Canadian Space Agency).

According to Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, “NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the perfect intersection of science, engineering, and art as it reveals the greatest secrets of our cosmos through the beautiful images it captures.” “With these stamps, individuals around the nation may know that they, too, are a part of this groundbreaking new era in astronomy and have their own snapshot of Webb’s fascinating photos – and the tremendous science they represent – at their fingertips.

Featuring Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) image of the “Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula, which is situated around 7,600 light-years away, is the first of the new stamps, a Priority Mail Express stamp. The picture displays previously unseen individual stars as well as newly formed stellar nurseries. One of the first full-colour photos from Webb that were made public in July 2022 was this one, showcasing the telescope’s capacity to see through cosmic dust and provide fresh insight into the formation of stars.

Webb’s MIRI caught a picture of the Pillars of Creation on the other stamp, which is a Priority Mail stamp (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Looking at this well-known scene that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope originally made famous, Webb sees pillars filled with gas and dust that are encasing stars that are slowly developing over many millennia. Set 6,500 light-years distant in the enormous Eagle Nebula is the setting for The Pillars of Creation.

These new stamps complement a 2022 Forever stamp designed by artist Webb on a starry background, which was released by the United States Postal Service. As Webb continues its quest to explore the unknown in our cosmos and research every stage of cosmic history, the U.S. Postal Service honours his accomplishments with stamps. In the past, Webb has revealed the inner workings of some of the universe’s most distant galaxies, stars, and black holes; resolved a long-standing puzzle regarding the early universe; provided us with a more thorough look at the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system than we have ever had before; and provided fresh perspectives on our own cosmic backyard.

Additional Information About the Mission

The best space scientific observatory in the world is the James Webb Space Telescope. Webb is delving into the enigmatic structures and beginnings of our universe and our role within it, as well as uncovering riddles inside our solar system and exploring far-off worlds orbiting other stars. Webb is a multinational initiative that is run by NASA in collaboration with the CSA and the European Space Agency (ESA) (Canadian Space Agency).

The Science Mission Directorate of the agency is under the direction of NASA Headquarters. Webb is managed by NASA at its Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which also supervises work done on the project by Northrop Grumman, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and other mission partners. Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; and other NASA sites were among those that contributed to the project in addition to Goddard. MIRI is the result of a 50/50 collaboration between NASA and ESA. For MIRI, the United States was directed by JPL, whereas for ESA, a global coalition of European astronomy institutes provides contributions. The head of the MIRI science team is George Rieke of the University of Arizona. The lead investigator for MIRI Europe is Gillian Wright.

JPL oversaw and directed the development of the MIRI cryocooler in coordination with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California. 

NASA and USPS Release Commemorative Stamps Featuring James Webb Space Telescope Photos

Ever since the James Webb Space Telescope of NASA launched in 2022, breathtaking pictures of celestial objects such as the Ring Nebula and the Pillars of Creation have been captured. NASA and the US Postal Service have published two commemorative Priority Mail stamps, showcasing the most iconic pictures from the JWST, to honour this formidable telescope. The first is an image of the “Cosmic Cliffs” in the Carina Nebula captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) on a Priority Mail Express stamp. Despite being 7,600 light-years away from Earth, the NASA image from 2022 shows extraordinary features of stars and stellar nurseries that have never been seen before. 

A Priority Mail stamp depicting the Pillars of Creation, obtained by Webb’s MIRI, is attached to this publication (Mid-Infrared Instrument). This picture, which shows how stars are generated in the Eagle Nebula 6,500 light-years distant, is both captivating and eerie at the same time. 

As it uncovers the deepest mysteries of our universe through its breathtaking imagery, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope represents the ideal nexus of science, engineering, and the arts, according to Nicola Fox, assistant administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With these stamps, individuals around the nation may know that they, too, are a part of this groundbreaking new era in astronomy and have their own snapshot of Webb’s fascinating images and the tremendous science they represent at their fingertips.

The Science Mission Directorate of the agency is under the direction of NASA Headquarters. Webb is managed by NASA at its Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which also supervises work done on the project by Northrop Grumman, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and other mission partners. Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California; and other NASA facilities were among those that contributed to the project in addition to Goddard.