I am attempting to give a closeup pic of the 2 generations of brown Micarta that Randall used on the Astros.
This 1st pic is of the earlier linen. This photo is of the handle on the Astro Bo Randall sent to the Smithsonian museum in 1961. This Micarta was used on the NASA knives.
Notice the linen "dot" look. Not grainy as the later Micarta looked. Lighter in color too.
This 2nd generation Micarta was used on the brown Micarta Astros from approx 1963-65 when exhausted. Notice the fiber has a wavey long fibers look to it. Also seems to have a grain to it when observed at a bit more distance.