JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Only on Action News Jax, we’re hearing from a local business owner whose product will be traveling on NASA’s Artemis II space mission in a few weeks.
The saying goes, don’t tell someone the sky is the limit because there are footprints on the moon …
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It’s a saying that Bryan Croft, owner of Simply Stamps, is about to know all too well.
Simply Stamps is a personalized product manufacturer based out of Jacksonville. Croft’s family has been manufacturing rubber stamps for over 70 years.
He thought he’d seen every request possible, until he got an unexpected phone call six months ago from NASA.
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“Definitely shocked,” Croft said when asked what went through his head after hearing NASA was on the phone.
NASA asked Simply Stamps if they can create a rubber stamp using their logo for the astronauts to have during the upcoming Artemis II Mission to take around the moon. However, the stamp needed to match NASA’s engineering requirements.
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“It could only weigh one ounce,” Croft said.
For the next few months, Simply Stamps engineers worked to develop a prototype that matched NASA’s requirements. When they sent back what they created, NASA gave them their stamp of approval.
“You don’t get a lot of times in my life in the last 20 plus years to get excited about a rubber stamp,” Croft said. “It was a lot of fun!”
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Croft has this message for anyone looking to launch their own business.
“If you really believe in it, stick with it and keep going!”
NASA invited everyone who works at Simply Stamps to the Artemis II launch. The earliest that launch could happen is February 6.
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