Image: Sts-54-patch

Description: STS-54 Mission Insignia Designed by the crewmembers, the STS-54 crew patch depicts the American bald eagle soaring above Earth and is emblematic of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in service to the United States and the world. The eagle is clutching an eightpointed star in its talons and is placing this larger star among a constellation of four others, representing the placement of the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) into orbit to join the four already in service. The blackness of space -- with stars conspicuously absent -- represents the crew's other primary mission in carrying the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer to orbit to conduct astronomical observations of invisible x-ray sources within the Milky Way Galaxy. The depiction of Earth showing North America is an expression of the crewmembers and NASA's intention that the medical and scientific experiments conducted onboard be for the benefit of mankind. The clouds and blue of Earth represent the crew's part in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth in conducting Earthobservation photography.
Title: Sts-54-patch
Credit: NASA http://mix.msfc.nasa.gov/abstracts.php?p=3535 https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/9351998323/in/set-72157634763947017
Author: NASA
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No