50th Anniversary of the First Manned Space Flight

INTRODUCTION

On 9 April 2011, the Post Office of Moldova (Poșta Moldovei) issued a series of postage stamps with the title 50th Anniversary of the First Manned Space Flight. The issue comprises four stamps on a souvenir sheet, with associated cancellation (postmark) and first day cover (FDC). The designer was Vitalie Roşca. The printing was performed by Tipografia Centrală, Chişinău.

ABOUT THE THEME

Vostok 1 (Russian: Восто́к-1, East 1 or Orient 1) was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer space, as well as the first orbital flight of a manned vehicle. Vostok 1 was launched by the Soviet space program, and was designed by Soviet engineers guided by Sergei Korolev under the supervision of Kerim Kerimov and others. Read more..

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Vostok_1', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

ISSUE DETAILS

Original Date of Issue: April 9, 2011 Michel Catalogue Numbers: 745-748 Artist/Designer: Vitalie Roşca Printer: Tipografia Centrală, Chişinău You can see the full details of this series here.

POSTAGE STAMPS
№ 745 | Yuri Gagarin	Yuri Gagarin Michel Catalogue No: 745 Perforation Type/Size: Comb 14.50:14 Size: 27.50 x 46.00 mm Face Value: 1.2 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: Ю́рий Алексе́евич Гага́рин, IPA: [ˈjʉrʲɪj ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ ɡɐˈɡarʲɪn]; 9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Yuri_Gagarin', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
№ 746 | Gherman Titov	Gherman Titov Michel Catalogue No: 746 Perforation Type/Size: Comb 14.50:14 Size: 27.50 x 46.00 mm Face Value: 5.4 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
Gherman Stepanovich Titov (Russian: Герман Степанович Титов; 11 September 1935 – 20 September 2000) was a Soviet cosmonaut who, on 6 August 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth, aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1. He was the fourth person in space, counting suborbital voyages of US astronauts Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Gherman_Titov', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
№ 747 | Virgil (Gus) Grissom	Virgil (Gus) Grissom Michel Catalogue No: 747 Perforation Type/Size: Comb 14.50:14 Size: 27.50 x 46.00 mm Face Value: 7 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
Virgil Ivan Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967), better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot. He was the second American to fly in space, and the first member of the NASA Astronaut Corps to fly in space twice. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Gus_Grissom', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
№ 748 | Alan Shepard	Alan Shepard Michel Catalogue No: 748 Perforation Type/Size: Comb 14.50:14 Size: 27.50 x 46.00 mm Face Value: 8.5 Lei Quantity Printed: 50,000
Alan Bartlett 'Al' Shepard, Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, NASA astronaut, and businessman, who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit. Ten years later, at age 47 the oldest astronaut in the program, Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission, piloting the lander to the most accurate landing of the Apollo missions. He became the fifth person to walk on the Moon, and the only astronaut of the Mercury Seven to walk on the Moon. During the mission, he hit two golf balls on the lunar surface. Read more.. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 'Alan_Shepard', which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

FIRST DAY COVERS (FDC) AND CANCELLATIONS (POSTMARKS)

№ Block 54 (745-748) FDC | American and Russian Spacecraft

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	2001 40th Anniversary of the First Manned Space Flight - Yuri Gagarin