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Author
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Topic: Deke Slayton's MA-7 'Delta 7' insignia
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Headshot
Member Posts: 923
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 03-18-2019 04:40 PM
   
When Deke Slayton was assigned to Mercury-Atlas-7, he decided to name the Mercury capsule Delta 7. Did he ever design an insignia to be painted on its side? Or was he removed from flight status before he reached that point? If a design was created, does any cSer have an image of it? |
astrorero
Member Posts: 45
From: San Dimas, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2014
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posted 03-20-2019 03:35 PM
Retrorocket Emblems had debated on a Kickstarter for a Delta 7 emblem and Freedom 7 II emblem. As far as I know, nothing ever came of it. The emblems are pictured on their web page. |
Liembo
Member Posts: 649
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 03-20-2019 04:29 PM
The only non-anniversary type commemorative I am aware of is this one, and I do not know who produced it. It is about 3" in diameter.  |
Tom
Member Posts: 1619
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 03-20-2019 05:33 PM
I'm pretty sure that Freedom 7 II emblem was painted on the side of the Mercury spacecraft on display in Washington, D.C. |
Skyforce1
Member Posts: 202
From: Vineland NJ, USA
Registered: Aug 2009
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posted 03-20-2019 09:49 PM
"Freedom 7 II" is indeed painted on the Mercury capsule at Udvar-Hazy in Chantilly, Virginia. |
Liembo
Member Posts: 649
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 03-20-2019 10:29 PM
You are correct! The artwork for the Freedom 7 II patch design was taken from that capsule artwork. The intent was to compliment the Mercury 7 patch set of capsule artwork that was already produced by someone else. |
James913
Member Posts: 294
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 03-21-2019 02:34 AM
I purchased this Delta 7 fantasy patch from Randy Hunt in November 2003. He had several of these patches at that time, so I assume that he had them made up (I never saw them in multiples anywhere else). Same design as the one above, but slightly different – a lighter Earth color, purple outline around the central 7 Delta, somewhat more detail on the capsule and small differences in the MERCURY 7 font. The one above may be a later Hunt reissue from a different manufacturer.  |
ptj4403
Member Posts: 34
From: Noblesville, Indiana, USA
Registered: Nov 2013
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posted 06-23-2020 09:18 PM
About 10 or 15 years back, I did some searching through some old NASA archives and found Deke's design with a picture of a sample patch. It's very similar to these two but there are differences. The red delta is lined in royal blue and the patch's edge is a teal and not wide. |
lucspace
Member Posts: 416
From: Hilversum, The Netherlands
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 06-24-2020 11:35 AM
Would you be willing to share that image? |
Liembo
Member Posts: 649
From: Bothell, WA
Registered: Jan 2013
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posted 06-24-2020 12:24 PM
Well shoot I could have used that information about 6 weeks ago before I released the fantasy spacecraft art patch for his proposed mission. Can you share a scan? |
David C
Member Posts: 1097
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012
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posted 06-24-2020 01:22 PM
Talk about untimely disclosure. Better late than never though I guess. Time for another patch project? |
Go4Launch
Member Posts: 553
From: Seminole, Fla.
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-24-2020 05:10 PM
It seems odd Slayton would have designed an actual patch for his flight in the middle of the program, when none of the previous three astronauts or Carpenter had done so. It could exist as art for his spacecraft, so I’d like to see any evidence from 1962 as well. |
Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 256
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 06-25-2020 05:02 AM
Yeah I agree with this as well. It just doesn't seem right. Happy to be proven wrong but as far as I can recall mission patches/decals (as distinct from artwork on the Mercury spacecraft) were not in discussion until the Gemini program (Gordo). |
lucspace
Member Posts: 416
From: Hilversum, The Netherlands
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 06-28-2020 05:10 AM
Perhaps Slayton did not discuss anything but just went ahead and had a sample of his design made.One thing about it bothers me, though. Why would an astronaut depict space as a white backgound? I sort of feel this could be an error or just a time-saving choice in producing a sample. I know a lot of samples I have had produced involved such issues. My bet is that, had the mission and patch actually materialised, the background would have been black. Any thoughts? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 44140
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 06-28-2020 10:14 AM
More information is needed on what "old NASA archives" means, as NASA also collected information from third parties. For example, the NASA History Office in Washington, DC had files pertaining to the souvenir Mercury patch AB Emblem designs without noting they were later-created commemorative patches.The design above reminds me of this other unofficial emblem from a vintage but often seen souvenir plaque. There are obvious differences, but I could see one inspiring the other.  |
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