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This commemorative patch marks the Mercury Atlas 6 mission of February 20, 1962, during which an American first orbited the Earth. In this mission, a Mercury-Atlas rocket boosted NASA Astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr. in his Friendship 7 capsule to an altitude of nearly 265 kilometers. Glenn circled the Earth three times in a flight lasting just less five hours, thus having achieved Project Mercury's primary goal of orbital spaceflight.

Although the first NASA mission patch was created for Gemini V in 1965, designs for earlier missions were created retroactively to allow collectors and the public to commemorate all of NASA's human spaceflights. This patch was made by an unknown manufacturer for commercial sale.

It was donated to the National Collection by Mance Clayton in 1982.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

MEMORABILIA-Events

Dimensions

3-D: 7.6 × 7.6 × 0.2cm (3 in. × 3 in. × 1/16 in.)

Materials

Fabric
Thread
Adhesive

Inventory Number

A19820383000

Credit Line

Gift of Mance Clayton

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
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