Manned Flight Awareness medallions

NASA's Manned Flight Awareness program was created in 1963 to help assure mission success and astronaut safety by motivating NASA and contractor employees to work to the highest standards.

The Manned Flight Awareness office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, produced various posters and decals designed to inspire employees to consider the safety of the astronauts when doing their jobs, but in 1968 the director of the Manned Flight Awareness office, Dr. Preston T. Farish proposed the creation of a commemorative medallion that would include material flown on the upcoming first crewed mission to the moon, which could be distributed after the flight to NASA employees and contractors who had participated in the success of the mission. Dr. Farish oversaw the development of the artwork for this medallion along with Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman.

Borman carried a small ½" diameter pellet of aluminum in his Apollo 8 Personal Preference Kit, and after the mission half of this precious flown metal was added to a melt of unflown aluminum and turned into ingots. These ingots were then delivered to Barco Mint of New Orleans where they were turned into 200,000 medallions, which were then distributed by Boeing to the principal Saturn contractors and NASA agencies which had participated in the Apollo program.

The success of the first MFA medallion led to the creation of a second medallion for the Apollo 11 mission. This time a stainless steel bolt from the Command Module and a pulley clamp carried on the Lunar Module were used to provide the flown material, with Dr. Farish personally overseeing the inclusion of these artifacts in a nickel-silver melt at the Meriden Rolling Mill in Connecticut. The resulting ingots were then used by Barco Mint of New Orleans to produce 200,000 Apollo 11 MFA medallions.

Further Manned Flight Awareness medallions would later be produced for the Skylab program, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests, the first Shuttle mission, and several more missions over the years.

Apollo 8 Manned Flight Awareness Medallion

The Apollo 8 Manned Flight Awareness medallions were produced from an aluminum alloy melt that incorporated a 1/2" diameter pellet of aluminum that had been carried on the mission by Frank Borman for this purpose.

A total of 200,000 of the 1½" diameter medallions were produced by Barco Mint of New Orleans.

The reverse of the medallion bears the following text:

In appreciatiaon for your contribution to the Apollo Saturn Project. The Apollo 8 crew carried metal in this medallion on man's first flight to the moon.

The medallions were distributed on at least two distinct styles of presentation - one a simple 8 x 10½" certificate, and the other, from North American Rockwell, a 9½ x 7" folder with a cutaway window to display an image of the medallion. The Borman signatures on the presentations and accompanying letters were printed.

The text on the NASA presentation reads as follows:

Although many thousands of us have worked to make our manned space flight possible, only a few of us can experience the incomparable travel in space.

It seemed to us that there should be some way of providing those who worked in the program some symbol of their efforts. We carried on the first manned lunar flight a small piece of aluminum. This piece of metal was melted down and incorporated into the metal used in making this commemorative medallion.

I hope that this will serve not only to give you a sense of active participation in this historic flight, but also to assure each of you of the appreciation of Astronauts Borman, Lovell and Anders for the superior workmanship, conscientious performance, and dedication to the safety of fellow human beings that made our successful flight a reality and will do the same for the missions that remain ahead of us.

Apollo 11 Manned Flight Awareness Medallion

The Apollo 11 Manned Flight Awareness medallions were produced from a melt that incorporated metal from a pulley clamp from the Lunar Module and a stainless steel heatshield bolt from the Command Module.

A total of 200,000 of the 1¼" diameter medallions were produced by Barco Mint of New Orleans in 1970.

The reverse of the medallion bears the following text:

This Medallion contains metal from spacecrafts Columbia and Eagle, that took Astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins on their historic Apollo 11 mission that resulted in the first landing of man on the Moon.

The medallions were most commonly distributed in 3⅝ x 2¾" plastic coin holders showing both sides of the medallion, with blue or white mats with the following text:

APOLLO 11 MEDALLION

For your contribution to the United States Space Program

The medallions in these plastic holders were often accompanied by the 11 x 8½" presentation certificate shown on the right.

Other medallions were distributed by contractor companies to their employees using their own style of presentation, with an example from Boeing (used in 1971) shown on the far right.

Skylab Manned Flight Awareness Medallion

The Skylab Manned Flight Awareness medallions were produced from a melt that incorporated metal from a 16mm film canister flown on the space station.

A total of 100,000 of the 1½" diameter, 4.7g, medallions were produced by the Western Engraving Company.

The reverse of the medallion bears the following text:

This medallion contains metal that traveled on ther world's first space station - the U.S. Skylab - in which astronauts Conrad, Kerwin, Weitz, Bean, Garriott, Lousma, Carr, Gibson and Pogue opened a new era in the use of space.
May 14, 1973 - February 8, 1974.

The medallions were distributed with a 8½ x 11" "Skylab Award" presentation certificate with the following text:

Skylab Award

A portion of the metal in this medallion orbited the Earth some 4100 revolutions, traveling over 111 million miles during the 270 days it was aboard Skylab May 14, 1973 to February 8, 1974.

This medallion is presented in appreciation of your dedication and efforts in insuring the successful accomplishment of the Skylab Program -- Mayb 1973 to February 1974

With printed signatures of the crews.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Manned Flight Awareness Medallion

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Manned Flight Awareness medallions were produced from a melt that incorporated metal from both the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft.

An unknown number of the 1½" diameter medallions were produced.

The reverse of the medallion bears the following text:

This medallion contains metal from both Apollo and Soyuz that joined together in the first International manned space mission in July 15-24, 1975.

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project MFA medallions were distributed with one of two different 11x14" "ASTP Award" presentations in English and Russian featuring the printed signatures of both crews.

The most common version has a blue stripe in the center and has the English text on the left and the Russian on the right.

The less common version has a red stripe in center and has the Russian text on the left and the English on the right.

ALT Manned Flight Awareness Medallion

The Shuttle Approach and Landing Test Manned Flight Awareness medallions were produced from a melt that incorporated metal taken from Enterprise.

An unknown number of the 1½" (38mm) diameter medallions were produced.

The reverse of the medallion bears the following text:

Thank you for your contribution toward making the Approach and Landing Tests of the Space Shuttle Orbiter successful. We would like you to have this memento made, in part, of metal taken from the Enterprise.

The ALT MFA medallions were distributed with a 10½ x 13½" presentation certificate with the following text:

ALT AWARD

The crews of the Approach and Landing Test Program are pleased to present you with medallion in appreciation of your contribution to the successful ALT flights of the space shuttle orbiter "Enterprise".

Manned Flight Awareness

With printed signatures of the crews.

STS-1 Manned Flight Awareness Medallion

The STS-1 Manned Flight Awareness medallions were produced from a melt that incorporated metal taken from Columbia.

A unknown number of the 1½" diameter medallions were produced.

The reverse of the medallion bears the following text:

Thank you for your contribution toward making the world's forst orbital flight of the Space Shuttle STS 1 possible. We would like you to have this memento made, in part, of metal taken from the Columbia.

The medallions were distributed with a 11 x 8½" presentation certificate with the following text:

First Shuttle Flight Achievement Award

The crew of Columbia is pleased to present you with this medallion in appreciation of your contribution to the success of the First Manned Orbital Flight of the Space Shuttle.

Manned Flight Awareness

With printed signatures of the crew below.