Pendant, STS-7

This STS-7 pendant from 1983 was owned by John Bickers, a Public Affairs representative for the McDonnell Company (later McDonnell Douglas), an aerospace company that held contracts with NASA throughout Project Mercury, the Gemini program, the Apollo program, and the Space Shuttle program. He obtained the pendant in the course of that work.

Space memorabilia bearing the image of the mission patch was often available to NASA employees and contractors. Wearing such memorabilia would demonstrate one's connection to the mission. Perhaps as a result of the presence of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, this piece of memorabilia takes the form of a pendant to be worn as a necklace (not the usual lapel pin). This pendant reminds us of the numerous teams of people who worked to support human spaceflight.

During his tenure with McDonnell, Bickers compiled and edited Press Reference Books for the Gemini Space Missions and supported early Space Shuttle flights.

He donated the pendant to the Museum in 2007.