commemorative

The Pegasus satellite program was a series of three American satellites launched in 1965 to study the frequency of micrometeorite impacts on spacecraft. All three Pegasus satellites were launched by Saturn I rockets, and remained connected with their upper stages.

 

In November of 1965, Elliot See, Jr. and Charles Bassett II were selected as the prime crew of Gemini IX. Bassett and See were killed on February 28, 1966, when their T-38 trainer jet crashed. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of their selection as the prime crew. The patch celebrates their selection and remembers their contribution to the US space program.

Patch design depicts one of the astronauts on an EVA with their capsule in the foreground and Earth below. The astronaut is reaching toward the moon, the ultimate goal of the space program at the time.