Insignia, 6594th Test Group, U.S. Air Force

This is the shoulder patch insignia worn by members of the U.S. Air Forces' 6594th Test Group, the unit that recovered film return capsules from Corona photoreconnaissance satellites between 1960 and 1972. The capsules were ejected from the Agena spacecraft while in orbit and reentered the Earth's atmosphere. At a low altitude a parachute was deployed and the 6594th Test Group's planes would retrieve the capsules before they landed. Virtually all the capsule recoveries took place in the Pacific near Hawaii. This patch was donated by Robert Flavell.