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Author
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Topic: 261956672910: Shuttle "Launch Team" patches
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JBoe
Member Posts: 960
From: Churchton, MD
Registered: Oct 2012
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posted 07-11-2015 06:21 PM
   
I've been seeing more of the later shuttle mission patches (post STS-107) that included the Launch Team tab. However, I've been seeing mission patch pins (all missions) with the Launch Team tab included. Is the inclusion of the Launch Team tab a "rare" occurrence? Is the tab "sanctioned" as official and exclusively for the Launch Team? |
Go4Launch
Member Posts: 542
From: Seminole, Fla.
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-12-2015 03:58 PM
I suspect the seller had these made since that seems to be what he sells — his inventory has the same look. I was at KSC for several days surrounding the STS-135 launch, and I never saw one of these patches. |
Liembo
Member Posts: 583
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 07-12-2015 04:37 PM
I can't speak to their LEO patches, but all of their NASA-related patches are reproductions or custom made for them. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-12-2015 06:50 PM
This seller is documented as offering fraudulent and fictional patches. |
Chuckster01
Member Posts: 873
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 07-12-2015 08:03 PM
I have no idea about the patches but I do believe the pins where produced by Tom Foley and the Cape Kennedy Medals company. As far as I know these launch team and flight crew pins where only given to launch teams and flight crews and their families until after his death when they started showing up from several sources. |
James913
Member Posts: 265
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 07-27-2015 02:40 AM
Just a bit of personal experience on this topic – I worked on the space shuttle at KSC for the first 25 flights and the launch team pins for these flights were bronze pins made by Rockwell. These were crew emblems with "Launch Team" added somewhere on the pin (in addition to souvenir bronze pins that Rockwell produced without the launch team wording). I know that Rockwell made these bronze launch team pins up to and including STS-51J. I began to see the color enamel pins from Tom beginning with STS-31 (the Hubble launch). To the best of my knowledge, there were never any official launch team patches made up. The few that have cropped up here and there seem to be privately produced for sale, usually based on the launch team pin design. |
JBoe
Member Posts: 960
From: Churchton, MD
Registered: Oct 2012
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posted 07-27-2015 03:42 AM
Thanks again guys for providing additional information! |
Joel Katzowitz
Member Posts: 808
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 07-27-2015 07:44 AM
I will add that launch team pins were usually available for purchase at or around the press site during launch days. At least one gentleman had them for sale and I always picked one up from him. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-27-2015 10:18 AM
quote:
Originally posted by James913:
I know that Rockwell made these bronze launch team pins up to and including STS-51J. I began to see the color enamel pins from Tom beginning with STS-31 (the Hubble launch).
At one point I had an STS-16/41F color enamel pin with the words "launch team" on the back. (This was the scheduled second flight of Discovery with Bobko as CDR and a five person crew, no PSs.) |
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