|
Author
|
Topic: STS-51E / Challenger canceled mission patch
|
spaced out
Member Posts: 3218
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
|
posted 03-24-2009 02:54 PM
   
One of the 'holy grails' of the shuttle patches must surely be the STS-51E patch with a Baudry-only tab. Well, I've not found one of those, but I did get one step closer...As most of you probably know both AB Emblem and Swissartex produced versions of the STS-51E patch which incorporated a Baudry-only tab in a one-piece cut-edge patch. When Senator Garn was added to the crew a month before the scheduled lift-off these patches needed to be re-made. Both companies went for the option of trimming away the Baudry tab by hand and then attaching a separate Baudry/Garn name tab to the patch body. Most examples of AB Emblem's resulting patch still show some traces of the original tab where the pale blue border joined the main patch body at the first "D" of Seddon and the "S" of Griggs. Swissartex apparently decided to try to hide these traces by adding a thick blue merrowed edge around the entire patch body, with a matching border on the sewn-on tab, as shown in the example below.  While I've never seen an example of an original Baudry-only patch, recently I did manage to acquire an example of the Swissartex patch that has not had this merrowed border applied, as shown below.  This allows you to get an idea of the way their STS-51E patch originally looked, complete with the traces of the trimmed-away Baudry-only name tab. It was actually quite a nice version of the patch before the thick blue border was applied. |
lunarrv15
Member Posts: 1362
From: Cincinnati, Ohio, Hamilton
Registered: Mar 2001
|
posted 03-26-2009 11:32 AM
About three weeks ago, someone on eBay sold a Baudry decal with the tab. |
Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1639
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
|
posted 03-26-2009 01:18 PM
Yes, I won it on Wednesday 11th March. It was one of a set of three Challenger mission decals. All three decals were in mint condition. Only one other bidder for this lot. |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3218
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
|
posted 03-26-2009 05:40 PM
The decals are not that uncommon to be honest, although still nice to have. |
Go4Launch
Member Posts: 563
From: Seminole, Fla.
Registered: Jul 2003
|
posted 03-27-2009 08:34 AM
I have a period patch with the Baudry-only tab that Chris mentioned to start this thread, which I believe was made by Swissartex. |
spaced out
Member Posts: 3218
From: Paris, France
Registered: Aug 2003
|
posted 03-27-2009 10:42 AM
With John's permission, here is his patch: It's certainly got an intact Baudry-only tab but I was suprised to see that it had the thick blue border added around the whole thing. Maybe they intended their patch to look that way, but I always thought they added that border to the trimmed body in order to cover the traces of the cut, then added a matching border to the new tab. Why they would want to add the same border to an intact Baudry-only tab is a mystery. My only suspicion is that perhaps this was done after the Baudry-Garn tab version was released. At the time of the cancellation of the mission maybe they were left with some un-cut Baudry-only patches as well as the stock they'd already converted into Baudry-Garns. The only value of either set of patches was as souvenirs of a cancelled mission so perhaps they finished-off any remaining Baudry-only patches with a border to match the Baudry-Garns and then sold them off too. All just idle speculation of course.  |
SPACEFACTS
Member Posts: 413
From: Germany
Registered: Aug 2006
|
posted 03-27-2009 11:44 AM
The official NASA artwork of the Baudry-only patch. |
Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1639
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
|
posted 04-04-2013 06:19 AM
A second example of this ultra rare Swissartex STS-51E 'Baudry' only patch, identical to the one John Bisney has (see the above image), has been found in amongst a mixed lot of 13 other mainly shuttle patches from various manufacturers, listed on the French eBay website. This lot of 14 patches had been listed at least three times since mid-December last year, but was only picked up by myself on March 28th. This lot of 14 patches was with Chris Spain, as he helped me to secure this lot of patches, as the seller did not speak or understand English, and would not ship outside of France. |
Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1639
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
|
posted 04-10-2013 08:48 AM
The second recorded example of this ultra rare Swissartex STS-51E 'Baudry' only patch has now arrived safely here in the United Kingdom (along with the other 13 mixed mainly shuttle patches).Here is an image of the back of this one piece patch, and the front of John Bisney's example:  |
monkeyman 3061
New Member Posts: 3
From: Edwards California USA
Registered: Apr 2013
|
posted 04-22-2013 03:16 AM
I worked on the program for over 25 years and I found in my collection of space shuttle memories, a Launch Team pin of 51E Bobko, Williams, Seddon, Griggs, Hoffman with flag insignia and Baudry name.I believe it may be the only design pin (if anyone can give me more history it would greatly be appreciated. I have never seen another one of these ever. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3472
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
|
posted 04-22-2013 09:29 AM
Had - emphasis on had - a 41F pin with 'launch team' on back. This was when it was just the five NASA astronauts, no PSs. |
Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1639
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
|
posted 02-15-2015 03:03 PM
I would like to report that two more of these ultra rare Swissartex STS-51E 'Baudry' only patches identical to the two previous ones reported above have come to light this month. They were found in an accumulation of shuttle mission, (some 'crew') and payload patches belonging to a former NASA employee who worked at the Public Affairs Office.Coincidentally today is the 30th anniversary of the rollout of STS-51E stack to launch pad 39A.  |
lunarrv15
Member Posts: 1362
From: Cincinnati, Ohio, Hamilton
Registered: Mar 2001
|
posted 02-16-2015 08:51 PM
I was the sole bidder on 10 Baudry tab decal over a year ago or so. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1759
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
|
posted 02-18-2015 06:46 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Kevin T. Randall:
Coincidentally today is the 20th anniversary of the rollout of STS-51E stack to launch pad 39A.
...30th anniversary. |
Liembo
Member Posts: 876
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
|
posted 08-25-2016 10:51 PM
How uncommon are the Swissartex STS-51E Baudry-only trimmed patch? I got one in a lot of reject early STS patches, thankfully this one wasn't a reject in the way the other patches were (missing thread, mis-aligned, etc). |
Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1639
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
|
posted 08-26-2016 12:03 AM
Extremely rare Liem. The only other recorded example of this Swissartex STS-51E patch is the one at the top of this thread.Well spotted Liem. |
ddrwilli
Member Posts: 80
From: Pataskala, Ohio
Registered: Nov 2005
|
posted 01-02-2022 09:19 AM
A few more examples of the Swissartex Baudry-only STS-51E patch have surfaced, and are currently being sold at the CrewPatches.com Store. I ordered one and it arrived a surprising 9 days later! Scans below. 
|
Kevin T. Randall
Member Posts: 1639
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008
|
posted 01-08-2025 05:27 PM
An AB Emblem version of the STS-51E single BAUDRY tab patch has been listed on eBay (335762757340). It dose not look right to me. Your thoughts please. 
|
Liembo
Member Posts: 876
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
|
posted 01-08-2025 06:09 PM
Looks to be a hand-made version made by cutting the Baudry / Garn tab and re-affixing it. Had they used a machine and a proper zig-zag stitch it would look a lot less obvious.
|
dcfowler1
Member Posts: 159
From: Eugene, OR
Registered: May 2006
|
posted 01-08-2025 09:08 PM
I actually made one like that in the 80s. It turned out pretty well. |
hoorenz
Member Posts: 1047
From: The Netherlands
Registered: Jan 2003
|
posted 01-09-2025 04:16 AM
100% fabricated. The whole issue was that the original Challenger 51E patch (with Baudry-only 'extension') was made in one piece. That is why the Baudry-tabs of the already produced patches were cut off and a seperate tab with Baudry and Garn had to be attached. Also, the original AB Emblem Challenger STS-51E patch with fixed Baudry extension (unlike the Swissartex version) was embroidered onto a navy blue twill. This is why the first AB versions which were made from the original, cut 51E patches, show a dark blue gap between the light blue sewn border of the main patch and the light blue sewn border of the tab.
To solve this problem, additional AB runs of the second generation Challenger 51E patch (and all runs of the still to follow Discovery 51D patch) were (like the Swissartex version) embroidered onto a light blue twill (which is clearly what has been used as the base for this fabricated eBay-patch). The light blue twill is also why the AB Emblem Discovery 41F patch offered by the same seller (316117733486), can never be an original 41F patch. This is the most "complete" Challenger STS-51E patch I have ever seen (it has some remnants of the original French flag):  |
advertisement