Mark Schuler (American, B. 1951) "Infrared Space Observatory" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This artwork was originally published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the Great Britain 37p Europe in Space stamp issued April 23, 1991. Earth-bound observatories which peer into the vastness of space provide invaluable astronomical data, but these complex pieces of equipment cannot definitively "see" much beyond the fringes of our galaxy. In 1993 the European Space Agency has scheduled the launch of its Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Designed to observe distant galaxies and record the birth of stars, the ISO will vastly out-distance balloon-born and ground-based infrared instruments, with a tenthousand-fold increase in sensitivity resulting from the removal of atmospheric and telescopic heat radiation. Vaulted into space by the ESA's Ariane launcher, the ISO will then use its thrusters to seek an operational orbit slightly above the normal ellipse of Earth's orbit to ensure minimal interference from the planet's layers of trapped protons and electrons. Monitoring the ISO from its Satellite Tracking Station at Villafranca, Spain, ESA members hope the observatory's sojourn in space will enhance the world scientific community's knowledge of the universe and our place in it. Image Size: 14.5 x 12.5 in. Overall Size: 20 x 18 in. Unframed. (B13198)