Pittsburgh Native Receives Special Honor From United States Postal Service
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A late astronaut and Pittsburgh native is receiving a special honor.
James Irwin, who went to the moon in August 1971, is getting honored by the United States Postal Service, which is marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 15 Mission with a pictorial cancellation.
Apollo 15 was the first mission to use a lunar rover, which allowed astronauts to cover a larger area of the moon's surface.
During their four-day stay on the moon, Irwin and his fellow astronauts collected samples and did science experiments. Irwin died in 1991 at the age of 61.
Here is how to get the cancellation:
"Customers wishing to obtain a cancellation should affix stamps (55¢ or forever) to an envelope of their choice, address the envelope to themselves or others, insert a card of postcard/file folder thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to: Apollo 15 Sta., Manager Retail, 1001 California Avenue, Room 2036, Pittsburgh PA 15290-9998. Alternately, stamped envelopes without addresses for cancellation, as long as they supply a larger, addressed envelope with adequate postage. After applying the pictorial cancellation, the Postal Service will return the items in this envelope. Deadline for requesting the cancel is September 1, 2021."