Faith 7 (Mercury-Atlas 9) Flown American Flag is signed by Mission Pilot Gordon Cooper.

This small cotton 50 star U.S. Flag was carried into space in May of 1963 and is inscribed, "This flag was flown on Faith 7, May 15-16, 1963 Gordon Cooper". "Faith 7" was launched on May 15, 1963, and was the final U.S. Mercury space mission. The Pilot/Astronaut was U.S. Air Force Major Gordon Cooper, who christened his capsule "Faith Seven", which he later explained, reflected, "my faith in the launch team, my faith in all the hardware that had been so carefully tested, my faith in myself, and my faith in God". Cooper was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts.

Our achievements in space certainly rank among mankind's greatest technological and scientific achievements. In the United States these efforts have been the responsibility of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) who's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Programs eventually lead to landing men on the Moon.

However, in addition to the extraordinary technological feats involved in space launches, orbiting the Earth, traveling to and orbiting the Moon, landing men on the Moon and returning safely to Earth; there was a second major accomplishment as well. This was America's victory in the extension of the Cold War, which was known as the "Space Race", over the Soviet Union. Accordingly, no other space artifact is more symbolic of the nation that won this race than the United States Flag.



Fully-documented American space artifacts are extremely rare when considered in comparison to virtually any other established category of historically notable "Earthly" objects. Furthermore, among such space artifacts, flown flags from any mission are highly desirable. However, absolute rarity does not always equate to absolute desirability. Even within the confines of space collecting there is an informal hierarchy of rarity: 



1. Artifacts used in Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA) outside the Lunar Module on the actual surface of the Moon;
2. Artifacts landed on the Moon aboard the Lunar Module; 


3. Artifacts flown to the Moon aboard the Command Module which did not land;
4. Artifacts flown in Earth orbit during the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo Programs;
5. Artifacts flown in Earth orbit aboard the Space Shuttle; 

6. Artifacts from NASA Earth training and the Manned Flight Awareness Program.


ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

Sources:



Cooper, Gordon, Leap Of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into The Unknown, Harper, New York, 2000.

Stars, stripes and space: NASA and the 50 star American flag, collectSPACE.com, 7 November 2011, from:
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-070410a.html

FLOWN IN SPACE, Astronaut Central, 7 November 2011, from:
http://www.astronautcentral.com/SINGLES/Flown.html

Leger , Donna L. , 7/20/2011 Interest in space memorabilia soars as shuttle era ends, USA Today, 7 November 2011, from:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2011-07-20-space-shuttle-collectibles_n.htm

Platoff, Anne M., Where No Flag Has Gone Before: Political and Technical Aspects of Placing a Flag on the Moon, NASA Contractor Report 188251, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, 7 November 2011, from:
http://next.nasa.gov/alsj/alsj-usflag.html

Platoff, Anne M. , Flags in Space: Symbols of NASA and Use of Flags in the Manned Space Program." Presented to the North American Vexillological Association, NAVA 36 (Denver, CO, October 2002), Publication pending in The Flag Bulletin; 7 November, 2011, from: http://aplatoff.home.mindspring.com/~aplatoff/space/

Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., Wikipedia, 7 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Cooper

Project Mercury, Wikipedia,7 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mercury

Space Race, Wikipedia, 7 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Race

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection