On January 28, 1969 Donald Pountain, the lodge chief of Mikano Lodge, Milwaukee, Wisconsin received an astounding letter from a former lodge officer. Captain James “Jim” Lovell, former Lodge Secretary for Mikano Lodge had enclosed a Mikano Lodge flap that had joined Lovell on his Apollo 8 voyage that went around the moon and back. Lovell stated that he would have liked to have actually worn the patch on his spacesuit, however after the Apollo 1 tragedy, nothing could be worn on the suit that was not fireproof. This OA flap likely traveled more miles than any other flap.

Jim Lovell intended to repeat the feat by shepherding a Mikano Lodge Flap to the moon aboard Apollo 13 and placing it in the lunar dust. However, the mission failed to land upon the moon and Captain Lovell never had another opportunity.