Joe Dowdy contributes stitches to the National 9/11 Flag during a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Joe Dowdy, special operations manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, contributes stitches to the "National 9/11 Flag" during a ceremony in the Debus Conference Facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The contributions of NASA, Kennedy Space Center and the state of Florida were stitched into the fabric of the American Flag, which was recovered near ground zero following the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The "New York Says Thank You Foundation" is taking the flag on a cross-country journey to be restored to its original 13-stripe design using pieces of fabric from American flags destined for retirement in all 50 states. Once the flag is restored, it will become a permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial Museum being built at the World Trade Center site. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett