The Microalgae Payload is a collaboration between NASA and an alumna of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS). Selected in a competitive process, the principal investigator attended Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) at Akeny, and put together a team of payload developers from NASA, DMACC and Kemin Industries. This patch represents the payload developed in 2018 scheduled to fly on SpaceX CRS-17, also known as SpaceX-17, to the International Space Station. The flask holding red and green liquid depicts the core of the mission investigating Haematococcus pluvialis, an astaxanthin producing algae, a potential countermeasure to the long-duration effects of space flight on the human body. Earth is featured prominently behind the flask and reminds us that this research is designed to enable human expansion across the solar system and bring new knowledge and opportunities back to Earth. The two stars on the outer rings represent NCAS and DMACC. The last names of the payload development team adorn the top of the patch. Finally, the field of stars represents NASA’s mission of scientific discovery of other worlds and missions of exploration in our solar system that expand the frontiers of human experience. In this same way, NCAS and community colleges expand the frontiers for thousands of STEM students nationwide.