STS-47 Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105, crew insignia

STS047-S-001 (June 1992) --- Designed by its crew members, the STS-47 mission emblem depicts the space shuttle orbiter with the Spacelab module in the cargo bay against a backdrop of the flags of the United States and Japan. The flags symbolize the side-by-side cooperation of the two nations in this mission. The land masses of Japan and Alaska are represented on the emblem, emphasizing the multi-national aspect of the flight as well as the high inclination orbit of 57 degrees. The initials "SLJ" on the left border of the emblem stand for Spacelab Japan; the name generally used for the mission is Spacelab-J. The Japanese characters on the right border form the word Fuwatto which means "weightlessness." The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, it will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA