NASA Procedures and Guidelines
This Document is Obsolete and Is No Longer Used. Check the NODIS Library to access the current version: http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov
NPR 1450.10C Eff. Date: March 06, 2000 Cancellation Date: March 24, 2006	NASA Correspondence Management and Communications Standards and Style
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CHAPTER 7: Envelopes and Mailing

7.1 General

7.1.1. This chapter explains how to address letter-sized envelopes and other mailers for unclassified correspondence as depicted in Figure 7-1.

7.1.2. Use only Government-approved envelopes and mailers. All official Government mail must be placed in approved mailers, and all outgoing mail must be processed by a NASA Mail Center.

7.1.3. Never place official Government mail in U.S. Postal Service (USPS) deposit boxes nor take to USPS Centers.

7.1.4. Consult with your Center's Mail Manager to obtain information for bulk or mass mailings and use of the NASA mailing permit indicia.

7.1.5. Consult with your Center's Mail Manager or mail handbook about types, costs, and restrictions for special mail services, including registered, certified, and express and expedited mailing or shipping requirements, bulk and mass mailings, and messenger services.

7.2 Envelopes

7.2.1. Use NASA-printed envelopes (see Figure 7-1) to send official mail through the USPS and to other NASA Centers.

7.2.2. Use preprinted NASA mailing labels on plain business and flat-sized envelopes and other mailers.

7.2.3. Use the smallest sized envelope necessary to reduce postage costs.

a. Letter-sized envelopes (4 1/8 x 9 1/2 inches). Fold from one to five pages of correspondence to a .25-inch maximum thickness.

b. Flat-sized envelopes. Flat envelopes are rectangular in shape and exceed one or more of the maximum dimensions for letter size envelopes but do not not exceed 15 inches in length, 12 inches in height, or .75 inches in thickness. The NASA standard flat-sized envelopes are brown 9 1/2 x 12 inches and brown 10 x 12 inches. Use flat-sized envleopes for communications that cannot be folded or, if folded, will exceed the .25-inch maximum thickness permitted for letter-sized envleopes.

7.2.4. Do not use any other envelopes or mailers other than those described in 7.2.3.a. and 7.2.3.b. above). Consult with your Center's Mail Manager before planning to use any other envelope or mailer to ensure they comply with NASA policy and USPS restrictions.

7.2.5. Do not use window envelopes to mail general correspondence. Window envelopes cannot be used to mail material that--

a. contains national security information,

b. is highly confidential to NASA or the addressee,

c. is being sent registered mail via the USPS,

d. is being sent to international addresses, or

e. is being sent to high-level officials in the Government or private sector.

7.2.6. Do not use staples to secure any size mailer, including padded mailers.

7.3 Address Information and Placement

7.3.1. Addresses must include, at a minimum, the five-digit ZIP Code and, when available, ZIP Code + four digits.

7.3.2. Address Placement (see Figure 7-1).

a. Place the address information on standard letter-sized envelopes within the automatic machine reading zone.

b. Affix NASA mailing labels on flat-sized envelopes, using Figure 7-1 as a guide.

7.3.3. Type, stamp, or machine-print the address. Avoid script or other fancy font styles.

7.3.4. Use all uppercase letters. Do not use punctuation (except the hyphens in the mail code and the nine-digit ZIP Code). The USPS prefers this format. However, the USPS optical character reader will interpret traditional styles of addresses (upper and lowercase letters with punctuation).

7.3.5. Use only the approved two-letter State abbreviations (as shown in Figure 7-2) in letters wherever a State is part of a mailing address. Do not use these abbreviations in the body of the correspondence.

7.3.6. International Destinations: Place the name of the country on the last line in all capital letters.

7.3.7. The mail stop or mail code of the originating office must be placed in the top left corner of the envelope or mailing label. This is a mandatory requirement and is used to identify items returned for nondelivery. The letter "A" must be placed in the top left corner of the envelope or mailing label as the return mail code for packages signed or originated by the Administrator or Associate Deputy Administrator.

7.3.8. Avoid attention lines. If one is necessary, placement must be on the first line of the address information.

7.3.9. The address information must be in proper sequence. Address information must be limited to five lines or less.

Examples:

NASA

DR HENRY MCDONALD
DIRECTOR
NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER
MAIL STOP 200
MOFFETT FIELD CA 94035-1000

Industry

MR JOHN M DOE
MGR ADVANCED PROGRAMS, ASTRONAUTICS DIV
LOCKHEED MISSILES AND SPACE COMPANY INC
1111 LOCKHEED HWY
SUNNYVALE CA 94089-3504

University

DR JOHN M DOE
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
CAMBRIDGE MA 02139

Military

NAVAL AIR STATION
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
PATUXENT RIVER MD 20670-5304

Foreign

MR THOMAS CLARK
117 RUSSELL DRIVE
LONDON WIP6HQ
ENGLAND

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