Taken in today’s context, the Gemini VIII mission patch is mildly amusing. Two guys, together in a small space…
Hey, you diss Neil Armstrong, fella!
You ain’t right, dude. 
Besides, they didn’t let those “types” in the military back then, let alone the space program!
Would’ve been funnier if the rainbow had been used on Gemini V (8 days) or Gemini 7 (14 days).
One crew – I forget which – announced their engagement after their long duration flight. So they did have a laugh about it.
Geek Trivia: The official name for the mission patches is “Cooper” named in honor of astronaut (and later hardcore UFO believer) Gordon Cooper, who first suggested the idea.
One of these days I’m going to have to display all of my patches – if I can find enough space! As for the space patches, several years ago I displayed my Apollo patches. They’re in a black frame on a black cloth background. An 8-inch Apollo logo is in the middle, with the mission patches in rows around it. (1, 7-10 across the top, 11 and 12 on the sides, 13-17 on the bottom row. A 3-inch Apollo logo at 8 o’clock relative the 8-inch one, and a 3-inch NASA ‘vector’ patch at 4 o’clock.) I think I’ll probably give the Mercury and Gemini patches the same treatment, but without the ‘vector’. I may use the 8-inch Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and STS patches around an 8-inch ‘vector’ in addition to the 8-inch programme patches that will me with the mission patches.
I stopped buying STS mission patches shortly after leaving Edwards. Too far to drive from L.A. to the NASA gift shop. But The Space Store sells a complete set. I’ll have to get them eventually, and display them in frames. I’ll have to dig out the rest of my patch collection, but I think I have a duplicate Space Shuttle Support Team patch that I can display with them.
Actually that patch design would have been more appropriate for a trip to the Dark Side of the Moon.
Bad pun, bad pun!
Somebody call a mod.
I don’t have any patches, but I do have a original mission sticker from the ill-fated Challenger flight, which is framed and sitting on my bookcase.
I have a certificate for being part of the Support Team from STS-2, signed by Astronauts Engle and Truly. Really nice fake grey parchment with a mission sticker on it. We were let off of work so that we could get our certificates autographed if we wanted to – and I did! I should dig that out of whatever notebook and whatever box it’s in and frame it.
The ‘Thank You’ from STS-3 is only a printed letter with a mission patch stapled to it. I guess I should frame that one too. I don’t remember if we got anything from subsequent missions. I’ll have to look sometime.
Just so you know, my involvment in STS was very, very minor. The Air Force sent up rawinsonde balloons, and we collected the data, processed it, and transmitted it to Houston. Why the AF or NASA didn’t do it themselves, I don’t know. Anyway, it was exciting to be involved; even if it was in such a miniscule capacity.