posted 08-21-2012 01:41 PM               

Royal Mail's Space Science stamps (2012)

On Oct. 16, 2012, the United Kingdom's Royal Mail will release a set of stamps under the theme "Space Science," in celebration of the 50th 50th anniversary of Ariel 1, the first British satellite.

The six stamps (in three denominations: first class, 77p and £1.28) feature photos of solar system bodies taken by different spacecraft:

• Sun: Particles ejected from the solar surface seen by the SOHO satellite

• Venus: Clouds in the southern hemisphere viewed by Venus Express

• Mars: Ice within a 35km wide impact crater photographed by Mars Express

• Lutetia: The asteroid's cratered surface seen during Rosetta probe's fly-by

• Saturn: The gas giant and its sunlit rings seen by the Cassini satellite

• Titan: Largest moon of Saturn, on which the Huygens probe landed in 2005

According to Norvic Philatelics, the 40 by 31 millimeter (1.6 by 1.2 inch) stamps were designed by Osborne Ross Design, and printed in lithography by Cartor Security Print of France.

The Royal Mail will offer a first day cover, a set of six stamp cards and a presentation pack together with the release of the stamps.