This crest commemorates Expedition 34/35, Canada’s second long-duration mission on board the International Space Station. The border and living quarters highlighted in red mark the first time that a Canadian will command a spaceship, an honor bestowed on Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Chris Hadfield. The central element portrays the International Space Station—the world’s only space science and research facility supporting long-term studies in the weightless environment of space. Scientific discoveries and technological innovations produced aboard the ISS have applications to both terrestrial science and planetary exploration, represented by the white, silver and red arcs symbolic of the Earth, Moon and Mars. The stars represent Hadfield’s three voyages into space, and his three children. The ring around one of the stars illustrates the recent discovery of hundreds of other stars with planets circling them. The azure pool at the point of the crest signifies water—the fundamental basis for life on Earth and a resource that requires careful management. Bringing attention to the need for fresh water conservation is one of Chris Hadfield’s underlying goals during this mission. The astronaut wings at the top were conferred on Colonel Hadfield by the Prime Minister of Canada in 1995 in recognition of his qualification as Canada's first military pilot astronaut. All these elements are defined by the shape of a guitar pick, symbolic of Chris’s musical interests with an emphasis on science and art, a distinguishing feature of Expedition 34/35. Credit: Canadian Space Agency
In the foreground of the patch, the International Space Station is prominently displayed to acknowledge the efforts of the entire International Space Station (ISS) team - both the crews who have built and operated it, and the team of scientists, engineers, and support personnel on Earth who have provided a foundation for each successful mission. Their efforts and accomplishments have demonstrated the space station's capabilities as a technology test bed and a science laboratory, as well as a path to the human exploration of our solar system and beyond. The ISS is shown with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-2), the Johannes Kepler, docked to resupply it with experiments, food, water, and fuel for Expedition 26 and beyond. This Expedition 26 patch represents the teamwork among the international partners -- USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the ESA - and the ongoing commitment from each partner to build, improve, and utilize the ISS. Prominently displayed in the background is our home planet, Earth - the focus of much of our exploration and research on our outpost in space. The two stars symbolize two Soyuz spacecraft, each one carrying a three -member crew, who for four months will work and live together aboard the ISS as Expedition 26. The patch shows the crewmembers' names, and it's framed with the flags of their countries of origin - United States, Russia, and Italy.
