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Gemini 7 |
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The Gemini 7 mission emblem artwork is shown in the photo on the right (S65-54129).
The Gemini 7 embroidered patch can be seen on the sleeve of Lovell's lightweight space suit and on the
jacket of the suit tech in a photo (S65-61756)
taken during the suiting-up for the flight.
The patch is also visible in the black and white photo of Lovell prior
to entering the spacecraft.
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The Crew Patches |
| Patch id: | Gemini 7 Crew Patch | |
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| Worn by crew? | Yes. The crew wore these patches on their space suits
during the mission. |
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| Flown? | Yes. Worn on their space suits. |
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| Manufacturer: | Unknown. |
| Distribution: | Likely limited to the crew and NASA. |
| Dimensions: | Approx. 3" / 76mm |
| Type: | Fully embroidered. Merrowed edge? |
| Scarcity: | Extremely rare. Only one unflown example sold in last few years. |
| Value: | The only unflown example sold in recent years fetched $1652[1] |
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| Notes: |
The original crew patch is actually slightly oval in shape, being slightly wider than it is tall.
The execution of the design is rather poor on this patch, with the torch in particular having a mis-aligned handle and a misshapen top that makes the whole thing look more like a burning hairdryer than a flaming torch.
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| Patch id: | Gemini 7 Crew Souvenir Patch | |
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| Worn by crew? | Yes, but some time after the mission.
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| Flown? | Yes. Examples were carried as souvenirs on the flight[2]. |
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| Manufacturer: | Unknown. |
| Distribution: | Likely limited to the crew and NASA. |
| Dimensions: | 3¾" / 96mm |
| Type: | Partially embroidered on blue twill. Stitched border with cut edge. |
| Scarcity: | Extremely rare. Only three unflown examples sold in the last few years. |
| Value: | The only examples sold in recent years fetched $619, $810 and $1045[3].
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| Notes: |
This distinctive design was the one carried by the crew on the flight as souvenirs. Unflown examples were also sometimes mounted alongside
flown flags and heatshield fragments in official NASA presentations, and Borman wore one on his blue flight suit in 1967 during
training for the Apollo 8 mission, as visible in
S67-15466.
The center of the patch is a very good representation of the mission insignia artwork, with the handle of the torch running straight through the hand (unlike in the crew version). The mission name and crew names were added around the central artwork.
The distinctive appearance of the reverse of the backing cloth of this patch indicates that it was likely produced by the same manufacturer as the Gemini 5 Crew Souvenir patch, the GTA-6 Crew Patch, and the Gemini 11 Crew patch.
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