| The 2004 mission patch is a combination of many ideas submitted by the CHASA trainees. The star in the top left corner has the year the mission will take place - 2004. The star itself is three stars inlaid to represent the three CHASA missions (including the 2004 mission). The stars tail is three curved stripes that represent the three mission areas - Mission control, the orbiter Colonial and the space station Eagle. The names of the orbiter and space station are listed and the mission control is represented with the roman numeral III - because this is the third CHASA mission control. There is a U.S. flag in the background to represent CHASA's country. The moon represents an important goal of the mission - lunar exploration via a Lego rover. The Lego rover is represented by the simplified rover picture (but does not show what the rover will actually look like). The eagle represents all the astronauts and the experiments they will be conducting on board the space station. In the bottom right is an orbiter - representing the Colonial. The payload bay doors are open and have the words "In the Spirit of Columbia" written on them as a tribute to the STS-107 crew who were lost on board the Columbia after completing a record scientific mission. Tethered to the orbiter is a CHASA astronaut ready to start an EVA. This year's motto was submitted by a CHASA trainee - "Together We Can" - this motto is especially appropriate as it indicates very elegantly what is required for a successful shuttle mission - Teamwork! The CHASA astronauts working together will be able to accomplish any task as long as they work together. Finally, the background color is blue - representing the "wide blue yonder" that explorers have been longing to explore since the first Chinese kites, through the work of the Wright brothers and today's space explorers and continuing into the generations of the future. |
