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Endeavour's final Flight Kit: merit badges, mission patches and more
May 31, 2011 — After more than 15 days in orbit, space shuttle Endeavour is headed home to Earth for its final time. The youngest of NASA's winged orbiters, Endeavour is returning with an empty cargo bay — its payload, the final U.S. components for the International Space Station delivered and installed.
Packed inside its crew cabin, sharing space with its six astronauts, is Endeavour's final delivery: several thousand pounds of science experiment results and spent supplies from the station. Also onboard, having made the round trip with the shuttle, is a special stash of souvenirs — the mission's Official Flight Kit (OFK), packed with mementos for the many organizations that supported the astronauts and made the flight a success.
The duffle-bag sized flight kit, together with the astronauts' individual personal preference kits, continues a tradition of astronauts flying mementos dating back through all of the 134 shuttle missions to date and the earlier U.S. manned space flights. Hundreds of thousands of small U.S. flags, crew patches, medallions, and lapel pins have flown over the course of the past five decades.
Endeavour's STS-134 flight kit is no exception, with nearly 500 of the crew's embroidered patches — as designed by commander Mark Kelly's mother-in-law, Congresswoman Gabrille Giffords' (D-Ariz.) mother, Gloria — alongside more than 5,000 4-inch by 6-inch U.S. flags and more than 2,000 of Endeavour's own orbiter flags.
Endeavour's 25th and final mission is also the next-to-last for the space shuttle program, which is represented in the OFK by 2,700 "end-of-mission" lapel pins and hundreds of similarly designed bookmarks, decals and emblems to be distributed after the flight to shuttle program workers.
Not everything in the flight kit however, is packed in mass. Many are individual mementos flown at the request of the crew members for organizations that they support and that supported them.
For example, a two-inch gold bar from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy made the trip on behalf of Kelly, who graduated from the academy in 1986.
A poem from the Tucson Poetry Center in Arizona is also on board, along with an Archie Comics comic book cover.
Another cartoon character, a Czech mole named Krtek, is aboard Endeavour in the form of a stuffed toy.
"My wife's mother is Czech and so we have strong ties to the Czech Republic," mission specialist Drew Feustel told collectSPACE. "They're actually building a whole science and education outreach program around this character and we hope to be able to go back to visit the country and tour around with Krtek and try to get the schools involved and see a lot of the students and excite them about math and science and technology."
Mementos ranging from a metal disk borrowed from the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Rome to a pennant from Tuscany are in the OFK representing Italy, the home nation of European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and STS-134 mission specialist Roberto Vittori.
The Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, England, loaned a 3-inch wooden ball from the 16th century ship "Mary Rose" so it could sail in the vast ocean of space. The "Mary Rose" was one of the first purpose-built warships and was raised in 1982 after more than 400 years underwater. The ball, called a "parrel," was part of the mechanism used to raise sails up the masts.
The "Mary Rose" has an additional connection to NASA: astronaut Michael Foale worked as a volunteer diver on the ship's excavation in 1981.
Another museum-sponsored piece is the five-star insignia worn by General Henry "Hap" Arnold, an architect of the modern Air Force. The insignia belongs to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
Endeavour's pilot Greg H. Johnson and mission specialist Mike Fincke are Air Force officers.
More than 100 robotics merit badges are inside the flight kit for the Boy Scouts of America. The newly introduced badge was developed in cooperation with NASA but also shares a connection with STS-134 mission specialist Greg Chamitoff, who was an Eagle Scout.
Chamitoff also flew a patch designed by the Boy Scouts' Santa Clara County Council in California, where he was a scout.
"When this flight came up, they got very excited about making a space patch for the council and so they did, and I'm flying it for them," Chamitoff told collectSPACE.
Robotics in space is also manifested by a hand and arm flying on Endeavour. Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, was delivered to the station during the previous shuttle mission and its extra appendage was packed on Endeavour to salute the work done on Earth to deploy the robot in space. |
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Some of the space shuttle program's "end of mission" patches that were packed in shuttle Endeavour's final Official Flight Kit.
Endeavour's empty cargo bay (with the station's Dextre robot in the foreground) as seen before undocking from the ISS. (NASA) |
The STS-134 Official Flight Kit Manifest
The following is the STS-134 Official Flight Kit manifest, as provided by NASA. Inventory numbers that are missing indicate items that were removed prior to launch.
No.
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Description
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Sponsor/Purpose
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1.
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425 STS-134 crew patches
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75 Expedition 27 patches
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75 Expedition 28 patches
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75 Expedition 29 patches
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Agency Presentation
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2.
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800 Small United States Flags
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Agency Presentation
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3.
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5 Sets U.S. States & Territories Flags
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Agency Presentation
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4.
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5 Sets United Nations Members Flags
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Agency Presentation
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5.
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|
-
50 Small Texas Flags
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50 Small Flags of Italy
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20 Small Flags of Russia
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25 Small NASA Flags
-
25 NASA Patches
-
1 Large (3") JSC Medallion
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6 Small (2") JSC Medallions
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2 NASA Seal Medallions (1 Bronze, 1 Silver)
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8 Silver Shuttle Pendant
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Agency Presentation
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6.
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10 Small (4"x6") State Flags:
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Arizona
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California
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Agency Presentation
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7.
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5 Small (4"x6") State Flags:
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Michigan
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Ohio
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Pennsylvania
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Hawaii
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(1) City of San Jóse Flag
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Agency Presentation
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8.
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5 Small (4"x6") Flags:
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United Kingdom
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India
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Czech Republic
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Canada
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Australia
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Greece
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Israel
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Vatican
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Agency Presentation
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9.
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20 Small (4"x6") Military Flags:
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20 U.S. Air Force
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20 U.S. Army
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20 U.S. Coast Guard
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20 U.S. Marine Corps
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20 U.S. Navy
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Agency Presentation
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10.
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-
10 Small United States Flags
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10 Small Alabama State Flags
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Marshall Space Flight Center Presentation
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11.
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-
10 Small Louisiana State Flags
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10 Small Mississippi State Flags
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5 Small NASA Flags
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5 Small United States Flags
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2 12"x20" LSU Flags
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Stennis Space Center Presentation
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12.
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-
5 Small United States Flags
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5 Small Florida State Flags
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15 1.75" KSC Medallions
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|
Kennedy Space Center Presentation
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13.
|
|
200 Silver Snoopy Pins
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Space Flight Awareness Presentation
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14.
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25 EVA Patches
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|
Agency Presentation
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15.
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|
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10 STS-134 Crew Patches
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23 Small (4"x6") U.S. flags
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11 Space Development & Test Wing Coins
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10 DoD Space Test Program Patches
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5 USS Hopper (DDG-70) Unit Coins
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1 20th Space Control Squadron Unit Patch
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1 20th Space Control Squadron Unit Scarf
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DoD Presentation
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16.
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25 COD Patches
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Center Operations Directorate Presentation
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17.
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25 Mission Operations Patches
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Mission Operation Directorate Presentation
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18.
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27 Safety and Mission Assurance Patches
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Safety and Mission Assurance Presentation
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19.
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25 JSC Engineering Patches
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Engineering Directorate Presentation
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20.
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50 Power of One Lapel Pins
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JSC Presentation
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21.
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-
10 Silver NASA Medallions (Ingots)
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8"x10" Paper Artwork
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Agency Presentation
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22.
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|
-
Challenger Center DVD
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4 Challenger Center Computer Flash Drives
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Agency Presentation
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23.
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100 Navy Space Systems Patches
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Navy Presentation
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24.
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2 Apollo 1 Patches
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Agency Presentation
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Items 25 through 80 are manifested at the request of the STS-134 crewmembers.
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25.
|
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1"x2" Gold Bar
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U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Great Neck, NY
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26.
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6"x8.5" Printed Poem
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Tucson Poetry Center, Tucson, AZ
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27.
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6.5"x10" Comic Book Cover
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Archie Comics, Rye, NY
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28.
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355th Fighter Wing Medallion
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Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, AZ
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29.
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11"x16" Red and White Pennant
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Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista, AZ
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30.
|
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9" Wooden Ball
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Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth, UK
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31.
|
|
Red Astros Jersey
|
|
Houston Astros, Houston, TX
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32.
|
|
5"x7" Photograph
|
|
Clear Creek Intermediate School Math Dept., League City, TX
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33.
|
|
Black T-Shirt
|
|
Clear Creek Intermediate School, League City, TX
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34.
|
|
3'x5' White and Green Flag
|
|
Clear Falls High School, League City, TX
|
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35.
|
|
1.75'x1.2' White School Banner
|
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Bayside Intermediate School, League City, TX
|
|
36.
|
|
White T-Shirt
|
|
Mossman Elementary School, League City, TX
|
|
37.
|
|
Black Tote Bag
|
|
Hagerty Insurance, Traverse City, MI
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38.
|
|
Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold USAF 5-Star Insignia
|
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National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
|
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39.
|
|
Small White Patch
|
|
Mayor's Office, L'Aquila, Italy
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|
40.
|
|
46th Aircraft Maintenance X Squadron Medallion
|
|
Eglin AFB, FL
|
|
41.
|
|
Pink and Black Keychain
|
|
L.A. Marine, Lake Ann, MI
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42.
|
|
Gold American Contract Bridge League Pin
|
|
ACBL, Horn Lake, MS
|
|
43.
|
|
Book Cover
|
|
Microstrategy, Inc., Vienna, VA
|
|
44.
|
|
1.5'x5' White Banner
|
|
Erie Planetarium, Erie, PA
|
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45.
|
|
3'x4' Green, White and Red Flag with Patches
|
|
Planetario, Citta de Lecco, Italy
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46.
|
|
3'x5' U.S. Flag
|
|
Department of Defense Payloads Office, Houston, TX
|
|
47.
|
|
3.3'x2.3' Blue Flag
|
|
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
|
|
48.
|
|
Gray T-shirt
|
|
Junior Dynamos Academy, Houston, TX
|
|
49.
|
|
17.5"x18" Red Banner
|
|
University of Southern California Alumni, Houston, TX
|
|
50.
|
|
11"x18" Red Towel
|
|
Sewickley Academy, Pittsburgh, PA
|
|
51.
|
|
Red and Black Hat
|
|
Chandra-Tora Associates, New Delhi, India
|
|
52.
|
|
Gold Pocket Watch
|
|
Ingalls Images Photography, Washington, DC
|
|
53.
|
|
Silver International Space Station Pin
|
|
Clear Lake Piano, Houston, TX
|
|
54.
|
|
5.5"x9" White Pennant
|
|
Regione Toscana, Toscana, Italy
|
|
55.
|
|
9"x13" White Pennant
|
|
Security Institute Falcon, Rome Italy
|
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56.
|
|
11"x9" Red Banner
|
|
Citta di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
|
|
57.
|
|
7"x11" White Pennant
|
|
Lions Club Sansepolcro, Italy
|
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58.
|
|
3'x5' Flag
|
|
Centro Internazionale per la Pace, Popoli de Assisi, Italy
|
|
59.
|
|
3'x5' Flag of Italy
|
|
President's Office, Rome Italy
|
|
60.
|
|
6.5"x10" Flag of Italy
|
|
Italian Space Agency, Rome, Italy
|
|
61.
|
|
4"x2" Tan Stone
|
|
L'Aquila City, Italy
|
|
62.
|
|
10" Metal Disk
|
|
National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Rome, Italy
|
|
63.
|
|
2.5'x6.5' Banner
|
|
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
|
|
64.
|
|
3'x5' Purple, Yellow and Red Flag
|
|
Sigma Phi Epsilon Foundation, Richmond, VA
|
|
65.
|
|
3'x6' Red Flag
|
|
Province of Ontario, Canada
|
|
66.
|
|
4.5"x4.5" White Tile
|
|
McGill University, Montreal Canada
|
|
67.
|
|
6" Black Stuffed Animal
|
|
Moravska Ustredna, Brno, Czech Republic
|
|
68.
|
|
Tan Hat
|
|
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department, Purdue University
|
|
69.
|
|
Green and White School Letter "O"
|
|
Lake Orion High School, Lake Orion, MI
|
|
70.
|
|
12"x7.5" U.S. Flag
|
|
ABCK's Enterprises, Webster, TX
|
|
71.
|
|
3'x5' Yellow, White and Blue Flag
|
|
Office of the Mayor, San Jose, CA
|
|
72.
|
|
3'x2' Blue Banner
|
|
Silvercrest Elementary, Pearland, TX
|
|
73.
|
|
1.5'x1.5' Chess Board Mat
|
|
United States Chess Federation, Crossville, TN
|
|
74.
|
|
11"x14.5" Embroidered Placemat
|
|
Fairmount Bagels, Montreal, Canada
|
|
75.
|
|
13"x19" Printed Letter
|
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
|
|
76.
|
|
Small Blue Scrubs
|
|
Baylor Department of Pediatrics, Houston, TX
|
|
77.
|
|
Blue Patch
|
|
University of Sydney, Australia
|
|
78.
|
|
Patch
|
|
Boy Scouts Santa Clara County Council, CA
|
|
79.
|
|
Silver STS-134 Medallion
|
|
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
|
|
80.
|
|
Silver STS-134 Medallion
|
|
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
|
|
81.
|
|
56 Assorted Constellation Patches
|
|
Agency Presentation
|
|
82.
|
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25 NASA Tournament Lab Decals
|
|
Agency Presentation
|
|
83.
|
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50 STS-134 Crew Patches
|
|
Space Shuttle Program Presentation
|
|
|
|
1.
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2718 Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Commemorative End of Mission Pins
|
|
SSP Presentation
|
|
2.
|
|
1 Roll of Foil
|
|
SSP Presentation
|
|
3.
|
|
3744 Small (4"x6") United States Flags
|
|
JSC Presentation
|
|
4.
|
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450 STORRM Mission Patches
|
|
SSP Presentation
|
|
5.
|
|
815 Sheets of Wings in Orbit Bookmarks
|
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SSP Presentation
|
|
6.
|
|
3000 Sheets SSP Legacy Bookmarks
|
|
SSP Presentation
|
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7.
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2000 Small (4"x6") Orbiter Flags
|
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KSC Presentation
|
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8.
|
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25 NASA Human Research Program Patches
|
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Space Life Sciences Presentation
|
|
9.
|
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312 NASA/HRP Team Pins
|
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Space Life Sciences Presentation
|
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10.
|
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1400 Space Life Sciences Lapel Pins
|
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Space Life Sciences Presentation
|
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11.
|
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400 STS-134 SSP Bookmarks
|
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SSP Presentation
|
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12.
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600 AMS Patches
|
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International Space Station Presentation
|
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13.
|
|
100 AMS Pins
|
|
ISS Presentation
|
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14.
|
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1 JAXA Memorial Wood Printing Block
|
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ISS Presentation
|
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15.
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50 MERLIN U.S. Flags
|
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ISS Presentation
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16.
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100 POIC Decals
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ISS Presentation
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17.
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25 GLACIER Patches
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ISS Presentation
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18.
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50 GLACIER Decals
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ISS Presentation
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19.
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3 Cubelab-Kentucky Flag Patches
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ISS Presentation
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20.
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12 Cubelab-NANORACKS Card
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ISS Presentation
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21.
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100 BCAT-6 Patches
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ISS Presentation
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22.
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15 CardioVascular Patches
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ISS Presentation
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23.
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29 CardioVascular Decals
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ISS Presentation
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24.
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3 Full Size (3'x5') United States Flags
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Agency Presentation
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25.
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150 ULF6 Mission Pins
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ISS Presentation
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26.
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100 STP-H3 Patches
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ISS Presentation
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27.
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200 Shuttle Commemorative End of Mission Patches
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SSP Presentation
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28.
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60 NASA Medallions
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Agency Presentation
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29.
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25 CSA Patches
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ISS Presentation
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30.
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50 CSA Decals
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ISS Presentation
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31.
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10 University of Guelph Medallion Magnets (CSA)
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ISS Presentation
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32.
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20 University of Guelph Patches (CSA)
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ISS Presentation
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33.
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200 Robonaut Patches
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ISS Presentation
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34.
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50 BXF Investigation Patches
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ISS Presentation
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35.
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103 Boy Scout Robotic Merit Badges
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Agency Presentation
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36.
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142 Sheets SSP Bookmarks
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SSP Presentation
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37.
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1 Full Size (3'x5') LSU Flag
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Stennis Space Center Presentation
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38.
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247 Shuttle Commemorative End of Mission Pins
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SSP Presentation
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39.
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150 ULF6 Mission Patches
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ISS Presentation
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40.
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101 EVA Patches
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ISS Presentation
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41.
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100 MISSE Decals
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ISS Presentation
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42.
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60 ULF5 MIssion Pins
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ISS Presentation
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43.
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40 ASI Logos
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ISS Presentation
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44.
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40 ASI Italian Flags
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ISS Presentation
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45.
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15 ASI Small Logo Flags
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ISS Presentation
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46.
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25 ASI Small Italian Flags
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ISS Presentation
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47.
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30 IVGEN Patches
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ISS Presentation
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48.
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30 Harness Station SDTO Patches
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ISS Presentation
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49.
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1 String of Beads
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Marshall Space Flight Center Presentation
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50.
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1 Robonaut Hand/Arm with TMG Glove
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Agency Presentation
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51.
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1 ESA Achievement Award
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ISS Presentation
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© 1999-2024 collectSPACE. All rights reserved.
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