[APOLLO 13]. FLOWN APOLLO 13 EMBLEM, WHICH SURVIVED WITH THE CREW AFTER THE SPACECRAFT EXPLOSION IN DEEP SPACE

FLOWN APOLLO 13 EMBLEM

SURVIVED WITH THE CREW AFTER THE SPACECRAFT EXPLOSION IN DEEP SPACE

FLOWN mission emblem Beta cloth, 8 by 8 inches, featuring the mission with three horses traveling from the Earth to the Moon with the Sun in the background. “Ex Luna, Scientia” is Latin for “From the Moon, Knowledge.” The emblem is matted and framed to 12 1/2 by 12 3/4 inches, SIGNED and INSCRIBED on the mat "THIS PATCH WAS FLOWN ON BOARD THE APOLLO 13 SPACECRAFT | ON ITS FLIGHT AROUND THE MOON 11-17 APRIL 1970 | JAMES LOVELL | COMMANDER." 

With JAMES LOVELL's signed provenance letter which reads: “This Apollo 13 crew patch was flown aboard the command module Odyssey during its perilous journey around the moon on April 11-17, 1970. The patch it silk screened on fireproof Beta cloth, the same material used for the outer layer of the Apollo spacesuit. It is identical to the patches seen on our crew's spacesuits. This patch was vacuum packed and stowed aboard Odyssey as part of my Personal Preference Kit.”

The damage caused to the Service Module when an oxygen tank exploded led to a loss of power and breathing oxygen to Command Module Odyssey. The Apollo 13 lunar landing mission was cancelled, and Lunar Module Aquarius was used as a 'lifeboat.' During the four days required to fly around the moon and travel back to Earth, the crew had to conserve electrical power and oxygen all the while performing critical LM engine burns to insure their flight path would indeed return them to Earth.