Skylab Expedition 1 Patch from Skylab 2 - Autographed by Astronaut Paul Weitz

Signed by Astronaut Paul Weitz, this insignia is from his personal collection. Weitz became an astronaut in 1966 and was one of 19 men selected by NASA for the Astronaut Group 5. He served as the pilot on the crew of Skylab 2 (SL-2) which launched on May 25, 1973. Weitz was also the spacecraft commander on the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger during the STS-6 mission. He was also the deputy director of the Johnson Space Center until his retirement from NASA in 1994.

This insignia represents the first manned mission to the first U.S. orbital space station. On May 25, 1973 the Skylab’s crew most urgent task was to repair the Space Station. Skylab's meteorite-and-sun shield and one of its solar arrays had torn loose during launch, and the remaining primary solar array was jammed. Without its shield, Skylab baked in the sunshine. The crew had to work fast, because high temperatures inside the workshop would release toxic materials and ruin on-board film and food. This particular insignia is printed on beta cloth which is a fire proof silica fiber cloth. After the 1967 Apollo I deadly fire beta cloth was implemented to make the spacecraft systems safer in the event of a similar situation.