posted 12-12-2022 12:00 AM               

NASA's TV coverage of Artemis I recovery included 'hat tip' to Apollo

There was something familiar about the hat Derrol Nail wore as he stood on the deck of the USS Portland and described the scene on Sunday (Dec. 11) as NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down from the moon. Not by accident, his blue ballcap evoked images of Apollo astronauts as they arrived aboard their own recovery ships 50 years ago.

Nail's hat was made to be part vintage replica, part modern fashion design. On its front panel, the cap was embroidered with "USS Portland" and the name of the NASA mission being recovered, "Artemis I." The panel was similar in style to those on the caps that were available on board the U.S. Navy ships that recovered the Apollo crews.