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| 2009 Photoshop |
Space Shuttle Patch
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NASA conducted a contest in 2009-2010 to design a Space Shuttle Program Commemorative Patch. The contest invited all current and former employees of NASA and its contractors to submit ideas for a patch to commemorate the retirement of the space shuttle. The winning patch will be used to celebrate the accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program when it retires in 2010. Entries were judged by a team of managers from the Space Shuttle Program. The winning patch design will be flown on an upcoming mission, and the winner will be presented with their flown artwork as an award. While my design, shown above, did not place among the top three, it was one of the top 15 finalists chosen out of a total of 85 entries received. Thanks to all who voted for my design. A "People's Choice Award" vote was also conducted for NASA employees in January 2010. My design placed fifth among the top 15 finalists in the NASA employees' voting. I received 506 votes (6.7%) out of a total of 7606. All 85 entries, the top 15 finalists, and the NASA managers' top three winners can be seen on NASA's Space Shuttle web site. collectSPACE.com conducted its own unofficial "Fans' Choice" poll at the same time NASA was having its "People's Choice Award" vote. My design placed sixth among the top 15 finalists in the collectSPACE poll, receiving 275 votes (8.6%) out of a total of 3206. The final results of their poll can be seen on the collectSPACE Fan's Choice Poll web page. Design Concepts I created four different designs for the contest, plus several variations of each one. From those, I chose as my entry the one (shown above) that I believed best captured the spirit of what NASA was looking for to commemorate the many great accomplishments of the Space Shuttle program. Deciding how best to capture the NASA's achievements with the Space Shuttle on a single patch proved to be a challenge. Most traditional mission patches include images that represent the goals and activities for the particular flight. When researching all of the past flights, I was amazed at how many notable milestones have been marked during the span of the Shuttle program. It quickly became clear that I would only be able to represent a few of these things. The first reusable spacecraft. NASA requested that artists include a description of their design, along with the artwork. Presented here are my four designs together with descriptions and some samples of the variations. |
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| 2009 Photoshop |
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Concept 1 The design above celebrates the Space Shuttle’s thirty years of orbital operations (1981 – 2010) and the many great accomplishments of the Space Shuttle program. It is modeled after the traditional mission crew patches that have been used on space flights since the 1960's. The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown prominently over the Earth. Three other spacecraft join the Space Shuttle in this design, symbolizing just a few of the many achievements made possible by the Shuttle program. To the left of the Shuttle is the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched, assembled, and populated largely by Space Shuttle missions (together with Russian modules and vehicles). Shown above the ISS is an astronaut floating free in space using a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The MMU was first demonstrated in space on a Shuttle flight. To the right of the orbiter is the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble was launched into space, placed in orbit, and serviced several times using the Space Shuttle. Stars and a galaxy represent the expanding knowledge of the universe the Hubble has given us. The Moon and Mars are illustrated to represent the future direction of human space exploration, and the many science achievements the Space Shuttle program has contributed toward those goals. Six small stars represent the six orbiters in the Shuttle fleet. The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design. The two seven pointed stars, placed near the names of Columbia and Challenger pay tribute to the loss of those orbiters and the seven member astronaut crews of each of those missions. |
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| 2009 Photoshop |
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Concept 2 The simple graphic design above emphasizes the three decades the U.S. space program used shuttles to send humans and equipment into orbit. The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown in glowing silhouette orbiting a brilliant blue crescent Earth. The Earth’s near circle creates part of the number 30, the number of years the Shuttles will have flown in space since the first flight in 1981 to the final flight projected to be in 2010. The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design. |
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| 2009 Photoshop |
2009 Photoshop |
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Concept 3 The design above celebrates the Space Shuttle’s thirty years of orbital operations (1981 – 2010). The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown in glowing silhouette. The booster rockets and external tank are rendered in white and gray, recalling the design of the original Space Shuttle program patch as well as the painted white external tank used during the first launches. The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design. A variation of the basic design is shown on the right. Three other spacecraft join the Space Shuttle in this design, symbolizing just a few of the many achievements made possible by the Shuttle program. Superimposed over the orbiter is an astronaut floating free in space using a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The MMU was first demonstrated in space on a Shuttle flight. Over the Shuttle’s payload bay is a silhouette of the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble was launched into space, placed in orbit, and serviced several times using the Space Shuttle. Shown behind the Shuttle stack is the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched, assembled, and populated largely by Space Shuttle missions (together with Russian modules and vehicles). |
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| 2009 Photoshop |
2009 Photoshop |
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Concept 4 The simple triangular design above celebrates the Space Shuttle’s thirty years of orbital operations. The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown in glowing silhouette. Three blue shock diamonds represent the three decades the Space Shuttle has been in service. The triangular shape recalls the design of the original Space Shuttle program patch. The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) fan out below the Orbiter. |