High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! With the advent of unmanned and manned space flight a whole new era of American history had presented itself. Keeping with the tradition of honoring the country`s history on the face of U.S. postage stamps, the U.S. Post Office began honoring the various events with its commemorative postage stamp issues. The first U.S. Postage issue to depict a space vehicle was issued in 1948, the Fort Bliss issue. The first issue to commemorate a space project by name was the ECHO I communications satellite commemorative issue of 1960. The next to follow was the Project Mercury Issue of 1962. As U.S. space exploration swung into full gear a variety of other commemorative issues followed in the ensuing decades, many of which bear accurate depictions of satellites, space capsules, lunar modules, space suits and other items of interest upon their faces.