Paul Calle was one of the first eight artists chosen by NASA in 1962 to document the

American Space Program’s Project Mercury.  In a Space Art career spanning more than 40 years, Calle has covered Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle Missions.  Paul was

the only artist present with the Apollo XI crew of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins the morning of July 16. 1969 as they prepared for their historic launch to the Moon.

His sketches of the Apollo 11 crew breakfast and Suiting Up stand as a visual record of the activities of the morning of July 16, 1969.

Perhaps one of Calle’s most well known Space paintings is the 10c 1969 First Man on the Moon stamp design for the US Postal Service, scott # C76.  This iconic image of Neil Armstrong stepping on the surface of the Moon is remembered worlwide.

The engraved plates for the postage stamp were carried to the surface of the Moon by the Apollo XI astronauts.

In 1989 for the 20th Anniversary of the Moon Landing the Postal Service asked Paul’s son,

artist Chris Calle to design the $2.40 Priority Mail stamp and Paul to design a First Day Cover cachet for the issue   In 1994 for the 25th Anniversary of the Apollo XI Moon Landing Paul and Chris jointly designed two US stamps commemorating the event, a 29c Commemorative stamp and a $9.95 Express Mail stamp.