October 28, 2004
To: Whom It May Concern:
On October 4, 2004, the US Postal
Service issued a set of ³Cloudscapes² stamps. The stamps showcased the natural world in the sky above and
complemented many of the other nature/natural history stamps sets that have
been issued over the past two decades.
During this same twenty-year period
(and even longer), the Postal Service has highlighted NASA¹s role in space
exploration – including astronaut missions and planetary
explorations. There has not been,
to our knowledge, any stamp issued that documents the role of NASA, NOAA, the
USGS, the USFS and other agencies (and associated university and private sector
scientists) that study Earth from space and build the satellites that monitor
the health of our planet.
We propose that the US Postal
Service consider issuing a set of stamps to highlight how space-borne
satellites have helped scientists understand and protect the
Earth-Atmosphere-Ocean system.
Because high resolution MODIS and similar data sets are arriving
constantly, it would be easy to portray quality focused views of specific
events – volcanic eruptions, forest fires, fall colors, flooded rivers,
hurricanes, snowstorms, ocean temperatures (e.g., the Gulf Stream), and even
urbanization vs. forest cover assessments. See these web sites (and http://www.weatherworks.com/satellite-stamps.html) for many examples:
http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
We hope that you¹ll consider this
idea because of its importance, its educational value (technology, science,
geography and societal impacts) and the opportunity it offers to recognize the
scientific and engineering communities who work so hard on behalf this Nation
and its people.
PLEASE include signature, printed name and address. Make additional copies as needed.
When completed, please mail to:
How the Weatherworks, 301 Creek Valley Lane, Rockville, MD 20850