Miss NASA Lewis Poses with the Apollo 8 Capsule in the Hangar

Patricia Coles, Miss NASA Lewis 1971-1972, poses with the Apollo 8 capsule on display in the hangar at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. Apollo 8, launched on December 21, 1968, was the first mission manned mission around the Moon and back. It was also the first manned mission launched on the Saturn V, the first manned launch from NASA's new launch facilities, the first photographs taken by humans of the Earth from deep space, and the first live television coverage views of the lunar surface. Astronauts Frank Norman, James Lovell, and William Anders returned to earth on December 27, 1968. The Apollo 8 capsule was loaned to NASA Lewis for its 30th anniversary event and open house. It was on display in the Lewis hangar along with the Gemini 7 capsule, the ‘Ham’ Mercury spacecraft, and the center’s Convair F‒106B Delta Dart. Immediately after the event the Apollo 8 capsule was sent to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry in for permanent display. The annual Miss NASA Lewis contest was instituted at the 1964 annual employee picnic. Contestants from various offices around the center vied for trophy and crown. Duties generally included participating at the center’s charitable functions and other social events. The winners emerged from the Chemical Rocket, Personnel, and Procurement divisions, as well as the library. The Miss NASA Lewis competition was curtailed in the mid-1970s. Patricia Coles, seen here, was the 23-year old daughter of renowned Lewis magnetic researcher Willard Coles. She worked for several years in the Lewis Personnel Division.