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Mars
Pathfinder - Mars Rover Sojourner - First Day Cover
Scott Catalog #3178 Issued Dec. 10, 1997 in Pasadena, CA
Cachet Art Hand Painted by Charlie Armstrong |
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Valerie Ambrose
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In
January 1995, the United States Postal Service and NASA
initiated a year-long worldwide contest for students ages 5 to
18 to select a name for the rover that was being sent to
travel on Mars. The students were asked to select a heroine
and submit an essay about her historical accomplishments and
how those accomplishments would relate to the rover's
accomplishments on Mars. Valerie Ambroise, age 12 from
Bridgeport, CT submitted the winning essay about Sojourner
Truth. Valerie suggested Truth because of all her accomplishments. "She had made it her mission to
travel up and down the land advocating the rights of all
people to be free and rights of women to participate fully in
society." The name Sojourner was selected
because it means "traveler." The 9th stamp in
the Black Heritage series honoring Sojourner
Truth was issued on February 4, 1986. |
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The official First Day Ceremony for the $3
Priority Mail stamp commemorating the historic Mars Pathfinder
mission was held on December 10, 1997 at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. |
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