posted 02-08-2010 03:49 AM               

In fact I believe this is actually a different patch with subtle but distinct differences from the version worn by the crew. I've updated the Gemini 10 page of my Crew Patches site to highlight the differences as I see them.

As this was sold alongside one of the Gemini 9 patches that are very similar to the crew version it may be that both were produced by the same company.

posted 02-09-2010 03:58 PM               

First off here's side by side detailed scans of part of the front of the crew patch (left) and UNK2 patch (right):

• UNK2 patch has much skinnier Agena and Gemini spacecraft and a gap behind the Agena.
  
• Crew patch has upper left outline of star in thin black thread (this is consistent across all crew examples I've seen) while the UNK2 version has thick black thread all round the star.
  
• Crew patch has much narrower horizontal ridges on blue background. Here you can see roughly 18 rows visible in this quadrant on the crew version compared to maybe 12 on the UNK2 version.

In the lower part of the image you can see that the UNK2 example is embroidered onto black cheesecloth. From the front the edges of the patch are completely black with no trace of blue.

Now, although some variation in the fine detail of patches is normal, I do not believe that such a significant difference in the application of the backing thread and two different backing cloths would be present in examples of the same patch.

The patches are similar enough in appearance that they may well have been produced by the same company working from the same design but the execution is different in the two versions.

It may be that the UNK2 version is a prototype or sample produced prior to the main production run, but in fact the black backing cloth seems more like an improvement than an early version.

The edges of the UNK2 version look much neater than those of the crew version. Maybe the UNK2 version was produced as the result of a new order of patches from NASA.

posted 02-09-2010 08:03 PM               

The variations he points out, however, could well be attributable to differences among the pre-Schiffli single-needle embroidery machines used for these patches nearly 40 years ago. Great strides have been made in recent years in patch embroidery techniques, which allow an unprecedented level of detail. To some, that's a positive advance by being able to more closely-duplicate original artwork. But as shuttle patch aficionados noticed when AB Emblem switched to its current digital machines, it also produces a tighter weave that in some ways is not as attractive (this is very subjective!). I believe this began with STS-88: the one I have of the first crew has the traditional look, while the expanded (final) crew shows the newer technique.

I mention that to offer support for my theory – that early single-needle machines had enough inherent variances to have produced these two Gemini X examples during the same original run. On Chris’ specifics, examination of a high-resolution scan of the "GT10UNK2" patch supplied to me does show evidence of blue cheesecloth, although it has been trimmed so closely it's very hard to see. I can see no signs of a black cheesecloth, but admittedly I’d need to see it in person to say for sure. Chris is focusing on small variations that I'm confident could also be turned up if this same level of scrutiny were applied to many other "early" patches, as opposed to the more obvious differences he has noted in the similar Gemini IX patches that recently surfaced.

Chris raises legitimate questions about the origin of these two patches, but that alone does not prove they are from different runs. Further, there is no evidence to support theories that GT10UNK2 may be a prototype or sample or from a "new order" as Chris speculates. Of course, as we all know, it's impossible to prove a negative -- that something didn't happen. I do admit I cannot prove that they did come from the same run -- but I am just not persuaded based on these small variances they did not.

I agree with Chris's statement that "The patches are similar enough in appearance that they may well have been produced by the same company working from the same design but the execution is different in the two versions." Indeed, I can confirm that the "original" Gemini X patches were produced for NASA by Texas Art Embroidery. It's important to recognize that these two examples have much, much more in common than they have differences. In fact, they have very similar, distinctive patterns that can be clearly seen in both. It would be virtually impossible for different firms to have produced patches so otherwise identical; I again submit the execution variances are attributable to the method used to produce them or possibly even differences between machines.

In the interest of full disclosure, the owner of GT10UNK2 is a close friend, although please be assured my analysis is not meant to reassure him he has one from the original run; like Chris, I am also devoted to the most accurate identification of Gemini patches. For example, I found his observations on the Gemini IX variants, as previously noted, as quite notable.

posted 02-10-2010 02:31 AM               

I agree that to say for sure you'd need to see the patch in person but from the scans I've seen it seems pretty clear that this patch is embroidered on black cheesecloth. (And I know I'm going to sound pretty silly in retrospect if better images suddenly show clear evidence of blue cheesecloth!)

I've put a few extracts below that I believe show small but significant areas of black cheesecloth exposed at the edges from the reverse. The cloth between the white threads appears to be black, and from the front the black color in the same areas is quite clear.

With this kind of trimmed patch traces of the cheesecloth backing are nearly always visible at the extreme edges of the patch (unless an overlocked border is applied over the cut edge). Take a look at the edge of the Lion Brothers Apollo 7 patches and you'll see pronounced blue traces on the edge of the blue version and purple on the edge of the purple version. Look at all other examples of the Gemini 10 crew patch that have surfaced to date and the blue edging is always visible.

posted 02-11-2010 11:45 AM               

I've gathered together images of all the examples of the Gemini 10 crew patch I can find - 9 patches in total, of which the majority are from John Young's collection,
including the patch he wore on his spacesuit during the mission itself.

Below I've posted an identity parade of closeup pictures showing small areas of each patch that show characteristic traits that I believe show a marked difference between the GT10UNK2 patch and all previously identified crew patches.

Let's start with the pattern of stitching in the blue background thread, where the
horizontal lines of fill stitching are visible as ridges. This is not always easy to see in photos or scans of the fronts, but when the back of the patches are shown it's more clear. The images below show the backs of three crew patches alongside the GT10UNK2 patch. The rows on the latter are about 50% wider (and spaced out accordingly) than on the crew version, a difference that I don't believe could be produced by an embroidery machine from the same pattern.

Patch identities left to right: JY flown (HA Apr 2009), JY flown (HA Oct 2009), Ben Guttery, GT10UNK2

Let's move on to the edges. All nine crew patch examples I could find show distinct
blue edging all the way round the patches where the blue cheesecloth has been trimmed away. I believe that the GT10UNK2 patch was embroidered onto black cheesecloth (as I indicated in my previous post) which leaves the edges looking clean and black all the way round. I think you'll be able to spot this patch in the line-up below.

Another distintive feature I mentioned was the black thread along the upper left side of the lower right yellow star. On the GT10UNK2 patch the border of this star is uniformly thick on all sides. On all nine crew patches I could find the upper left border of the star is a thin line of thread. Can you spot the odd one out below?

Finally, I mentioned that the spaceships in the GT10UNK2 patch were markedly skinnier than in the crew patch. Below are the nine crew patch examples I could find along with GT10UNK2. Take a look at the Agena spacecraft in particular and see if you can spot the odd one out.

Patch identities in last three images - Top row (left to right): Young's GT10 spacesuit patch, JY flown (HA Apr 2009), JY unflown (HA Apr 2009), JY flown (HA Oct 2009), JY flown (HA Apr 2010)

Lower row (left to right): Crew patch from S66-41532, unflown (HA Sep 2007), Bill Hunt, Ben Guttery, GT10UNK2

In these images you can see plenty of natural variation in fine detail between
patches produced at the same time in the same production run but the crew patch examples were clearly all produced from the same pattern.

posted 02-11-2010 12:17 PM               

Again, I believe that both are vintage patches, but to me there appears to be two different runs. It would be interesting to ask Mike Collins in the upcoming signing event whether he can pull out some of his own Gemini X crew patches.

Who knows, maybe the 2nd version was the first one that came out and the ones that we see in John Young's collection are souvenir patches. In either case, one version should not detract from the other.

posted 02-11-2010 05:09 PM               

I suppose it comes down to whether these variations really constitute separate versions. For the "extreme" patch collector, I can understand how they might be so considered. Again, I appreciate Chris' efforts.

posted 02-11-2010 05:25 PM               

I also believe our terminology of "runs or batches" is different and maybe we should clarify if different machines were used at the same time to produce the 110 patches.

posted 02-11-2010 09:52 PM               

On page 82 in the Novaspace 2008 auction catalogue, Lot 407 is the Gemini X patch from Michael Collins, again the 1st version, although it's upside down.

posted 02-12-2010 02:04 AM               

As far as I can see the Apollo 9 crew patches are a very similar case. The Apollo 9 crew patch variants 1 and 2 appear to have been made by the same company and are extremely similar in appearance but there are distinct and consistent differences in the design which indicate that they were produced from different patterns.

In the case of the Apollo 9 patch we've seen a mix of both variants having been carried as souvenirs on the flight itself and used in official presentations produced at the time of the flight.

So far with Gemini 10 we have only seen one example of this particular variant versus 10+ examples of the other, but who knows how the various patches were distributed?