Piece of Black Swamp Area Council flew to space 27 years ago

Did you know 27 years ago this week, Black Swamp Area Council went to space?

We have celebrated the historical Moon Landing and First Man to Walk on the Moon in 1969 by Neil Armstrong, who is from our Council and Wapakoneta. But did you know, during the week of Nov. 3-14, 1994, as part of NASA’s “Mission to Planet Earth” aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-66, a Black Swamp Area Council Shoulder Patch was part of the payload?

This historic patch and a crew patch from the STS-66, which also was part of the mission payload, at the Findlay Service Center.

The description on the framed piece reads: This Black Swamp Area Council patch and crew patch were flown aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-66, November 3 – 14, 1994, as part of NASA’s “Mission to Planet Earth”, including the ATLAS-3 payload, and the CRISTA-SPAS satellite which gathered information about the Earth’s atmosphere. Presented to The Black Swamp Area Council and the Boy Scouts of America, From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United States Astronaut Crops. (Signed by) Scott Parazynski, MD, Astronaut, Mission STS-66”

Earlier in 1994, Dr. Parazynski visited council as a guest speaker at the Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner for local Eagle Scouts.

ABOVE: The Black Swamp Area Council Shoulder Patch pictured above traveled to space in 1994, as did the crew patch.

ABOVE: The Crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-66, are pictured above during the space flight. They are, from the left, front row: Joseph R. Tanner, Mission Specialist; Donald McMonagle, Commander; Scott Parazynski, Mission Specialist; and Curtis Brown, Pilot. Back row: Ellen Ochoa, Payload Commander; and Jean-Francois Clervoy, Mission Specialist.