Beta Cloth Patches

Background

Beta cloth is a fire proof material woven from teflon coated glass fibres. It was supplied to NASA by the Owens Corning Corporation for use as the outer layer of the Apollo space suits and in-flight garments worn by the astronauts after the Apollo 1 fire.

In order to reduce the use of flammable materials to a minimum it was logical that the mission patch, NASA insignia, U.S. flag, and nametag used on each space suit and coverall from Apollo 7 onwards would also be produced in beta cloth rather than embroidered cloth. In general these beta cloth patches were never made available commercially and are now sought-after collectibles.

Beta cloth patch production

Owens Corning contracted out the printing of NASA's beta cloth patches to the Screen Print Corp. of Coventry Rhode Island. There the insignia were screen printed onto rolls of beta cloth using Roma Chemical Questral pigments.

These were then cut into 9" squares (or 5½" in the case of the ASTP patches) with the printed designs at the centers. The hand-drawn 'cut lines' for the edges of these squares are often visible on one or more sides of beta cloth patches, as can be seen in the example on the left.

The beta cloth patches were supplied to NASA in this form, and many were carried as souvenirs on missions without any further treatment.

The small number of patches actually intended to be worn on garments had a roughly 1" wide square of sizing (a stiffening glue or paste) applied around the insignia in order to prevent or reduce fraying of the cut edges, as shown in the example on the right.

These patches were then cut to around 5½" square and the edges of the cloth were then hemmed - folded back and sewn in place - usually into a roughly 4½" square for mission and NASA insignia patches, as shown in the example below.

Beta Cloth patch use by NASA

	Beta cloth patches were used on the pressure garments (space suits) of the Apollo astronauts and on their in flight garments. Each astronaut wore a mission insignia, NASA insignia, US flag and nametag. These four patches can be seen on Al Shepard's suit in the photo on the left, taken immediately prior to the Apollo 14 flight.

The majority of beta cloth patches prepared for use on clothing were probably those used on the coveralls of the NASA and contractor technicians who worked in the white room and in the suit-up area at the Cape.
As can be seen in the photo above right, NASA technicians in the suit-up area and white room wore beta cloth patches with the NASA insignia and mission insignia, and contractor technicians generally wore a mission insignia beta cloth patch on their coveralls.
	The bulk of the production runs of mission insignia beta cloth patches were probably destined to be carried as souvenirs on the flights themselves. The patches were carried flat, sealed in lots of 25 in plastic packages like the one shown on the left. Although there is no record of exactly how many beta cloth patches were flown on each Apollo mission we do know that Jim Lovell carried 450 in his PPK on Apollo 13. There is no reason to imagine that other astronauts carried significantly less examples, except perhaps on some of the early flights where PPK weight restrictions were tighter.

Commercial availability

Most beta cloth patches were never made available commercially, which greatly increases their desirability as collectibles.

There are exceptions, however. Owens Corning released a set of patches which included a US flag beta cloth patch, a Man On The Moon commemorative design, and an Apollo 11 mission insignia variant without the "APOLLO 11" text and with the background in blue ink instead of black.

Owens Corning also produced a couple of small lucites containing beta cloth mission patches - one with an Apollo 11 insignia highlighting the role of beta cloth in the Apollo program, and the other celebrating the Apollo 15 Lunar Rover with a trimmed Apollo 15 beta cloth insignia in the lucite.

Finally, an Owens Corning framed commemorative presentation was produced in the mid 70s which incorporated trimmed beta cloth insignia from all the Apollo missions.

Overall, apart from the US flag patch none of the beta cloth patch designs used by NASA were ever sold directly to the general public in uncut form.

Beta Cloth patch values

Apart from those patches flown on missions, the most valuable beta cloth patches are those that were prepared for use on garments. Very few examples exist in this form, with the few that I've seen to date coming from the collections of former Apollo suit technicians.

When it comes to regular beta cloth patches, examples on full 9" x 9" cloth squares (5½" squares for ASTP) are the most sought-after.

Issues that detract from beta cloth patch values include:

Misalignment of printed elements - if one or more of the ink colors is signficantly misaligned this will lower the appeal of a patch. This is actually quite common in patches but perhaps this shouldn't be taken too far as it's worth noting that the beta cloth mission patches worn by Armstrong and Aldrin on their Apollo 11 space suits both show significant misalignment.
Trimmed patches - patches that have been trimmed close to the printed image are generally worth less than those on full-sized cloth squares, with the exception of examples prepared for use on garments.
Creases - creases are almost impossible to remove from beta cloth, so any creases on a beta cloth patch will definitely have an impact on its value.
Scrapes - the ink on beta cloth patches can be scraped off fairly easily so damaged patches are not uncommon.

NASA vector insignia Beta Cloth Patch

The NASA vector insignia beta cloth patch is shown below right. The printed image measures 3" (76mm) across the center section.

The patch was generally worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square or rectangle, although for Apollo 9 Schweickart's NASA insignia was sewn into a pentagonal shape to fit the available space on his EVA suit.

Note that on Apollo 15, 16 and 17 the NASA patch was worn on the right shoulder rather than the chest.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the NASA insignia beta cloth patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for around $50 to $155.

2TV-1 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The 2TV-1 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3" (76mm) high.

The patches were apparently hemmed around the edges of the printed design itself on the space suits of the 2TV-1 crew.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the 2TV-1 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $40 and $199, with most fetching around the $50 level.

Apollo 7 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 7 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3" (76mm) high.

Although on later missions the beta cloth patches were usually attached as hemmed squares, on the Apollo 7 crew's space suits the patches were apparently hemmed around the edges of the printed design itself as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 7 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $130, with most examples falling in the $55 to $79 range.

The beta cloth mission insignia and name tag from Wally Schirra's Apollo 7 space suit were originally sold in 1994 and since resold in 1996 and again in 2011 for $6632.^[1]

Apollo 8 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 8 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 4¾" (122mm) across.

On the Apollo 8 crew's space suits the patches were hemmed around the edges of the design itself, whilst leaving a narrow white border, as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 8 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $80 and $237, with a single example selling at $405.

Apollo 9 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 9 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3" (78mm) across.

The patch was worn on McDivitt and Scott's space suits hemmed into a rectangle roughly 4"x3½" across as shown below.

On Schweickart's EVA suit, which had a different layout on the chest, the mission was hemmed into a hexagonal shape as shown on the left.

Note that the NASA 'meatball' logo patch was hemmed into a pentagon to fit the logo into the available space.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 9 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $40 and $97, with one example fetching $128.

Apollo 10 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 10 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3" (75mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 3¾" across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 10 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $150, with one example fetching $183.

Apollo 11 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 11 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (86mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4" across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 11 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $100 and $239, with some recent examples hitting $300 or more.

A oversize version of the Apollo 11 beta cloth patch also exists where the printed design measures approximately 10" across. It is not clear what this was intended for, although it was perhaps to be worn on the backs of technicians' overalls. In any case these patches are very scarce, with examples selling for between $180 and $555.^[2]

It's also worth noting that a commercial version of the Apollo 11 beta cloth mission patch was also produced with a blue background and without the "APOLLO 11" text at the top. These versions are worth less than the version used by the crew, generally selling for $26 to $58.

Apollo 12 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 12 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3" (77mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 3½" (89mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 12 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $201.

Apollo 13 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 13 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (89mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4" across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 13 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $417.

Apollo 14 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 14 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 4"x3½" (103mm x 89mm).

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a rough octagon roughly 4½" across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 14 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $160.

Apollo 15 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 15 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (88mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½" (112mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 15 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $60 and $374.

Apollo 16 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 16 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (89mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½" across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 16 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $144.

Apollo 17 Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Apollo 17 beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (88mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½" (112mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Apollo 17 beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $50 and $155, with one recent sale at a Lunar Legacies auction hitting $201.

SMEAT Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test (SMEAT) beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3" (76mm) high.

The patches were worn hemmed into squares on the orange coveralls of the crew.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the SMEAT beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for anywhere between $79 and $250.

Skylab I Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Skylab I beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (90mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½" (112mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Skylab I beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for around $40 to $70, with one recent high sale at $227.

Skylab II Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Skylab II beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (90mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½" (114mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Skylab II beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for around $40 to $120, with one recent high sale at $230.

Skylab III Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The Skylab III beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures 3½" (86mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½'" (114mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the Skylab III beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 9" x 9" cloth sell for around $40 to $50, but with some recent high sales at $115 to $227.

ASTP Beta Cloth Mission Patch

The ASTP beta cloth mission patch is shown on the right. The printed image measures roughly 3½" (90mm) across.

The patch was worn on the crew's space suits hemmed into a square roughly 4½" (114mm) across as shown below.

Good cleanly-printed examples of the ASTP beta cloth mission patch without creases and on a full 5½" square cloth sell for around $50 to $130, with one recent high sale at $230.

NASA 'worm' logo Beta Cloth Patch

The NASA 'worm' logo beta cloth patch, as used by the Apollo-Soyuz crew in 1975, is shown on the right. The printed text measures 6" (76mm) across, and the cloth 7" x 5".

As can be seen below the patch was worn high on the right shoulder of the A7L suits.

A second version of the patch was produced for use on the in-flight coveralls with lettering measuring 3⅓" across on a 5" square of cloth.

Most photos of the ASTP crew in training show the NASA vector insignia on their suits as the NASA 'worm' logo was only introduced shortly before the flight itself. These patches were produced in beta cloth form only for this mission, with the later versions used for the Shuttle project EVA suits being produced in Orthofabric instead.

The only examples of these patches to have surfaced in recent years came from the Deke Slayton estate. Several examples of each version of the patch were sold in mixed lots.


Footnotes
[1] Sales of flown spacesuit or in flight garment beta cloth patches: RRAuction Lot (ex-Slayton). Schirra's Apollo 7 flown spacesuit mission patch and name tag : Odyssey auction Feb 1994 sold at just under $1,500 Superior sale lot 236 Oct 26, 1996 sold at $2,185 RR auction Space Sale lot 310 Sep 22, 2011 sold at $6632.40 (inc fees) [2] Sales of oversize Apollo 11 beta cloth patches: Lunar legacies auction Lot 237 Jun 26, 2010 sold at $379.50 (inc fees) [on 20x21" cloth] eBay item no. 130398987583 Oct 14, 2010 sold at $76 [trimmed close & creased] RRAuction lot 207 Jan 20, 2011 sold at $385.20 eBay item no. 400201180193 Mar 15, 2011 sold at $555 eBay item no. 400339129747 Nov 16, 2012 sold at $407.52 [trimmed close & creased] eBay item no. 160997069665 Apr 3, 2013 sold at $180.07 eBay item no. 200915873598 Apr 15, 2013 sold at $249 [Buy-it-now]


	[ Back to Top ]