NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Read below to learn about the STS-128 mission patch.
 

Astronaut Office Symbol

When astronauts are first selected, they are given a silver pin of the Astronaut Office symbol. They wear this symbol until they make their first flight. Then they are given a gold Astronaut Office pin. The fancy version of the symbol on the STS-128 mission patch has the number 128 on it to represent the mission.
 

Space Shuttle

The space shuttle Discovery is the vehicle that will take the STS-128 crew to the International Space Station. The crew will deliver the materials science research rack. The rack will allow the station crew to experiment with materials such as metals, glasses, crystals and ceramics. The station crew will study how materials mix and solidify or how crystals grow outside Earth's gravity.
 

Sturckow (STUR-coe)

Commander Rick Sturckow leads space shuttle mission STS-128 to the International Space Station. Besides taking the materials science research rack, Sturckow and his crew will transport the fluids integrated rack. Station crews will be able to study colloids (small particles suspended in a fluid), gels, bubbles, boiling and cooling. These all may behave differently without gravity.
 

Ford

Kevin Ford is the pilot for space shuttle mission STS-128. This is his first shuttle mission. He will assist the commander. One of the tasks for this mission is to take the COLBERT treadmill to the space station for crew fitness. Ford has 4,300 flying hours and is a certified flight instructor in airplanes and helicopters.
 

Forrester

Patrick Forrester is a mission specialist for the STS-128 space shuttle mission. This is his third mission. His first was in 2001 on STS-105, and his second was STS-117 in 2007. He has totaled more than 24 hours of spacewalking during the two previous missions.
 

Hernández

Mission specialist José Hernández makes his first spaceflight on STS-128. In 2007, Hernández lived and worked underwater during the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, or NEEMO, project. He and the NEEMO-12 crew lived in an underwater habitat for 11 days.
 

Olivas (oh-LEE-vuhs)

John "Danny" Olivas will do three spacewalks during STS-128. He was a mission specialist on STS-117. On that mission, he had to perform the first-ever spacewalk to repair a torn space shuttle thermal blanket.
 

Stott

Nicole Stott is a mission specialist and will do one spacewalk during STS-128, her first shuttle mission. She flies on space shuttle Discovery to her temporary home on the International Space Station. She will become a part of the Expedition 20 and Expedition 21 crews on the station.
 

Fuglesang (FYU-gel-sang)

Christer Fuglesang is an astronaut from the European Space Agency, or ESA. He will do two spacewalks during STS-128, his second space shuttle mission. He first flew on STS-116 in 2006.
 

Earth and International Space Station

Earth and the International Space Station wrap around the Astronaut Office symbol, reminding us of the continuous human presence in space.
 

Flags

The U.S. and Swedish flags represent the countries of the STS-128 crew. Six of the crew members are from the United States. Fuglesang is from Sweden.
 

 
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