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Flown embroidered Gemini 7 crew souvenir insignia patch carried on the mission, measuring 3.75˝ in diameter, affixed to a letter of provenance on Stafford, Burke and Hecker letterhead, signed in blue ballpoint, "Thomas P. Stafford." In part: "The emblem displayed below was flown on the Gemini 7 space mission during December 4 to 18, 1965. Astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell flew a then record 14 day space mission demonstrating that astronauts could endure an Apollo lunar flight anticipated to last approximately two weeks. On December 15, 1965, Wally Schirra and I were launched into orbit on Gemini 6 and made the first manned space flight rendezvous with Gemini 7. This was another important task to accomplish prior to Apollo. After the flight, Wally and I exchanged crew emblems carried on Gemini 6 for some of those that Frank and Jim carried on Gemini 7." Displayed with a color photo of the Gemini 7 rendezvous, signed in felt tip, "Tom Stafford" and "Wally Schirra," matted to an overall size of 18 x 12.5. In fine condition, with a small surface scratch to the signed photograph.
The fourteen-day Gemini 7 mission doubled the length of time that anyone had been in space, and remained the longest American spaceflight until the Skylab missions of the 1970s—the insignia features an Olympic-inspired torch to symbolize the marathon-like nature of the mission.
