posted 02-27-2011 11:23 AM               

Space Cover #98, Discovery of Uranus Ring System

The above Space Cover of the Week commemorates the discovery of rings orbiting the planet Uranus during a flight aboard the Gerald Kuiper Airborne Observatory on March 9, 1977. The observation was made at 41,000 feet altitude, 1200 miles southwest of Australia over the southern Indian Ocean. Dr. James Elloit, senior research associate at Cornell's Center for Radiophysics and Space Research; graduate student, Edward Dunham and computer programmer, Douglas Mink made the discoveries aboard Kuiper.

The ring system around Uranus was confirmed by the Voyager-2 spacecraft on Jan 24, 1986.

This cover was serviced by Stan Henderson of 3-Muscateers.