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Author Topic:   Mission Operations Directorate emblem
Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 51113
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-20-2005 12:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) emblem

The following was sent from the Missions Operations Directorate (MOD) to the Astronaut Office on March 15, 2005. Attached was this revision to the MOD emblem originally designed by Robert McCall.

Much has been made in the days following the tragedy of February 1, 2003, of the role that "culture" played in the events leading up to that day. Here now, two years on, we have all had time to reflect on our own personal involvement, whether as an individual, member of a discipline team, a directorate, or an agency.

Sadly, we were not the first to face such self scrutiny. Gene Kranz recalled the response of a previous generation to a similar tragedy:

So this was sort of the news of the day, and it then came time for me to speak. I tend to be maybe one of the more emotional of the controllers. I believed that that's part of a leader's responsibility, to get his people pumped up, and I gave what my controllers came to know as the "tough and competent" speech, and concluded the talk identifying that the problem throughout all of our preparation for Apollo 1 was the fact that we were not tough enough; we were avoiding our responsibilities, we had not assumed the accountability we should have for what was going on during that day's test. We had the opportunity to call it all off, to say, "This isn't right. Let's shut it down," and none of us did. So basically the toughness was from that day forward we would stand for doing everything right, literally being perfect and competent.

We had become very complacent about working in a pure oxygen environment. We all knew this was dangerous. Many of us who flew aircraft knew it was extremely dangerous, but we had sort of stopped learning. We had just really taken it for granted that this was the environment, and since we had flown the Mercury and Gemini program at this 100 percent oxygen environment, everything was okay. And it wasn't. And we had let the crew literally paper the inside of the spacecraft with Velcro...

I had each member of the control team on the blackboards in their offices write "tough and competent" at the top of that blackboard, and that could never be erased until we had gotten a man on the Moon. I believe that set the framework for our work in the weeks and months that followed.

It's amazing how NASA took charge of itself in those days.

At the conclusion of the last Apollo flight, Gene asked artist Bob McCall to fashion an emblem commemorating the spirit of tireless vigilance that defined 'Mission Control' in that era. As he later described it...

'We fought and won the race in space and listened to the cries of the Apollo 1 crew. With great resolve and personal anger, we picked up the pieces, pounded them together, and went on the attack again. We were the ones in the trenches of space and with only the tools of leadership, trust, and teamwork, we contained the risks and made the conquest of space possible.'

The entire MOD team wants the Space Shuttle and Space Station Program families to know that we still aspire to the same ideal today. The unique challenge of the Space Shuttle and ISS programs has been in the long timescales through which we must maintain that vigilance.

To embrace that commitment and keep it strong, we have adopted 'vigilance' as a key fundamental quality essential to our professional excellence. Our 'vigilance' will be focused always on remaining attentive to the dangers of spaceflight, while never accepting success as a substitute for rigor in everything we do. It is joined by the other virtues that we aspire to in our work — Discipline, Competence, Confidence, Responsibility, Toughness, and Teamwork — virtues drawn from our flight control heritage.

While the blackboards are long gone, in their place we have incorporated a living memorial into the MOD emblem as a constant reminder of the 17 who have given their lives to the pursuit of the frontier. Seventeen stars now grace the background of space on the patch to help keep in the forefront of our minds the risks we are managing daily.

It is our solemn pledge to each of you that we are committed to the safety and success of our human spaceflight programs as we return the Space Shuttle to flight status and complete assembly of the International Space Station. That commitment will not wane with the passage of time and achievement.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 51113
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-15-2012 06:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
With the space shuttle program over and the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) looking toward the future, the MOD emblem has been revised:

Ronpur
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Posts: 1260
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012

posted 08-16-2012 09:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Nice!! I want the original one as well!

p51
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Posts: 1783
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 08-16-2012 10:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great! Hope they have patches made up for this the next time I'm at JSC next month...

Gonzo
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Posts: 599
From: Holland, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 08-17-2012 05:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Patches! We need patches! (And I'm STILL looking for the original Apollo version!)

Apollo 8
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Posts: 176
From: Vienna, Austria
Registered: Oct 2010

posted 08-17-2012 05:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Apollo 8   Click Here to Email Apollo 8     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Originals of the original Apollo version are very hard to find, but SpaceBoosters made a nice replica.

Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member

Posts: 3466
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-17-2012 07:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Geek alert: I can see how the arrowhead evolving into the Enterprise's arrowhead of the 23rd century, later to become the Starfleet symbol... as well as the basis for the triangular-shaped emblems present in the 24th century.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 51113
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-17-2012 06:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mike Okuda, who was the artist behind the 2005 revision and now this latest version as well, explains that the vector is from the Flight Directors' emblem, and it is intended to represent the fact that NASA will be flying a variety of spacecraft in the coming years.

Gonzo
Member

Posts: 599
From: Holland, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 08-21-2012 09:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have a question about this emblem. At the start of the thread, it's noted that:
The following was sent from the Missions Operations Directorate (MOD) to the Astronaut Office on March 15, 2005. Attached was this revision to the MOD emblem originally designed by Robert McCall.
I checked my version of that patch to find that I purchased it on Feb 2, 1990 — a clear five years prior to this announcement. So my next step was to compare the one pictured from 2005 to my actual patch. There are a couple of differences. My patch lacks all of the program emblems at the bottom. It has just Mercury, Gemini and Apollo along with four stars, just like the original version. However, it does have the shuttle launching up the center. There are also three plumes coming from the shuttle, not one as the new version depicts. It also lacks the stars in the lower part of the plume.

My patch also lacks the ISS in the lower right. Instead, it has what appears to be a mapping/earth scanning satellite on the orbit instead. Mine also has the earth/sun at the top and the sun has the flares like the original. The one from 2005 has the moon and Mars.

Everything else appears to be the same with the comet in the upper right and "Mission Operations" across the center.

I guess my point in all of this is that from the patch that I have, there were more versions of this emblem (and in patch form) than what is listed in this thread. Any thoughts on the subject?

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 51113
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-21-2012 10:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The first version to replace the "Mission Control" banner with "Mission Operations" did replace the Saturn V with the space shuttle but left the other elements the same.

It was used between 1983 and 2004, and was produced by AB Emblem as a patch.

p51
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Posts: 1783
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted 09-12-2012 06:53 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was at the Payload Operations Center at Marshall Space Flight Center recently and saw a live feed from the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center and the logo they were using still had the shuttle on it. I was surprised to see even Houston hasn't converted over yet...

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 51113
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 10-08-2012 09:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
AB Emblem is now producing the revised MOD emblem:
As the official contractor to NASA for embroidered emblems since 1970, we are pleased to announce we will soon have available the new Mission Operations emblem. This is our design number 200710.

vanerie
Member

Posts: 86
From: Outer Banks, North Carolina
Registered: Sep 2016

posted 12-27-2017 09:40 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for vanerie   Click Here to Email vanerie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Has anyone ever seen the ISS version of the Mission Control emblem in patch form?

astrorero
Member

Posts: 54
From: San Dimas, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 01-26-2018 03:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for astrorero     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Has anyone ever seen the above Mission Operations patch 200710 in lapel pin form? If so, where can I purchase one?

jutrased
Member

Posts: 66
From: North Smithfield, RI USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 01-26-2018 04:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jutrased   Click Here to Email jutrased     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was at Space Center Houston in November and was able to pick this one up with the ISS at the SpaceTrader Gift Shop.

astrorero
Member

Posts: 54
From: San Dimas, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 01-27-2018 03:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for astrorero     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks, but I was talking about 2012 revision, as pictured in patch form above.

Paul J. Brennan
Member

Posts: 265
From: Linden, CA
Registered: May 2019

posted 08-01-2019 02:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul J. Brennan   Click Here to Email Paul J. Brennan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
AB Emblem will be producing the 1973 version again.

I'm assuming we'll see the patch become available again sometime in the next two weeks, with the sold out sign being replaced by an add to cart option.

I know folks have been frustrated by some of the changes at AB Emblem in recent years, but in my short time of collecting I have found them to be very responsive.

vanerie
Member

Posts: 86
From: Outer Banks, North Carolina
Registered: Sep 2016

posted 08-14-2019 09:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for vanerie   Click Here to Email vanerie     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The 1973 version is up for sale on their site.

Go4Launch
Member

Posts: 562
From: Seminole, Fla.
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 08-14-2019 04:02 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Go4Launch   Click Here to Email Go4Launch     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
For comparison, here is what I believe to be an original 1973 patch.

Paul J. Brennan
Member

Posts: 265
From: Linden, CA
Registered: May 2019

posted 08-16-2019 10:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Paul J. Brennan   Click Here to Email Paul J. Brennan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The original version definitely beats the newer version in terms of looks.

Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 51113
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-19-2023 10:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A-B Emblem now has the 2004 version (design no. 458401) of the Mission Operations patch available, adding to the 1973 and 1983 Mission Control designs, the 1988 and 2012 Mission Operations emblems and the 2014 Flight Operations.

Kevin T. Randall
Member

Posts: 1539
From: Chesham, Bucks UK
Registered: Dec 2008

posted 09-26-2023 01:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kevin T. Randall   Click Here to Email Kevin T. Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The full details that are found on the embedded labels for the AB Emblem 2004 Mission Operations patch (shown above) are as follows;
  • 458401 A-B Emblem Made In China 08/23 40

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