Space Station Expedition 3 Insignia

The Expedition Three crew members–astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., commander, and cosmonauts Vladimir N. Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, flight engineers–had the following to say about the insignia for their scheduled mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS): “The book of space history turns from the chapter written onboard the Russian Mir Station and the U.S. Space Shuttle to the next new chapter, one that will be written on the blank pages of the future by space explorers working for the benefit of the entire world. The space walker signifies the human element of this endeavor. The star representing the members of the third expedition, and the entire multi-national Space Station building team, streaks into the dawning era of cooperative space exploration, represented by the image of the International Space Station as it nears completion.”

International Space Station Expedition Two patch

The International Space Station Expedition Two patch depicts the Space Station as it appears during the time the second crew will be on board. The Station flying over the Earth represents the overall reason for having a space station: to benefit the world through scientific research and international cooperation in space. The number 2 is for the second expedition and is enclosed in the Cyrillic MKS and Latin ISS which are the respective Russian and English abbreviations for the International Space Station. The United States and Russian flags show the nationalities of the crew indicating the joint nature of the program. When asked about the stars in the background, a crew spokesman said they “…represent the thousands of space workers throughout the ISS partnership who have contributed to the successful construction of our International Space Station.”

Expedition 1 - International Space Station

The first International Space Station crew patch is a simplified graphic of the station complex when fully completed. The station is seen with solar arrays turned forward. The last names of the Expedition One crew, Soyuz pilot Yuri Gidzenko, flight engineer Sergei Krikalev, and expedition commander William (Bill) Shepherd, appear under the station symbol.