Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage conditions may apply

This vest was worn by Eugene F. "Gene" Kranz, NASA Chief of Flight Control Division, during Apollo 13, the third lunar landing attempt. During that flight, mission control worked with Apollo contractors and the flight crew to solve several problems, foregoing a Moon landing but bringing the crew back to Earth safely.

As the leader of the "white team" in mission control, Kranz wore a different white suit vest, handsewn by his wife, Marta, for each mission, beginning with Gemini IV in 1965 and ending with Apollo 17 in 1972. Most of the vests are more elaborate than this one. Although Kranz's trademark vests were well known at the time, Kranz's portrayal by actor Ed Harris in the blockbuster 1995 film "Apollo 13" made this particular white vest iconic.

As was the custom in mission control, after Kranz's retirement, the color "White" was retired from possible flight team colors. Kranz donated this to the Musuem in 2006.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Destination Moon at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Destination Moon
Object Details
Date 1970 Country of Origin United States of America Type MEMORABILIA-People Manufacturer Marta Kranz
 Dimensions Clothing (Flat): 55.9 × 50.8cm (22 × 20 in.)
 Materials Natural Fabric
Natural Fibers
Plastic
Metal
 Alternate Name Eugene Kranz's Apollo 13 Vest Inventory Number A20060573000 Credit Line Gift of the Eugene F. Kranz Family Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use. You may also like How Gene Kranz’s Plainest Vest Became His Most Famous Gene Kranz’s Apollo 13 Vest Asking the Experts