collectSPACE - news - "Designing an uplifting end to NASA's space shuttle program"

Artist-supplied caption:

For many great years the Space Shuttle has supported not only our country but many nations. This patch is a small representation of those years. The circles of color and the 50 stars inside the patch (not shown) represent the United States for the support and work of the American people that helped make the Space Shuttle program a success. With great success, there is a cost which should never be forgotten. Both wings are marked with "Challenger" and "Columbia" as that reminder. The Robotic Manipulator System holds the world as a symbol for the science the program has provided. A small sample of what the STS program has helped achieve is shown in the Hubble Telescope, the Russian MIR, the International Space Station, Skylab, followed by the Eagle representing the Department of Defense, and SPACEHAB in the payload bay. The Space Shuttle would not reach its destinations without the important task of the Solid Rocket Boosters, and the External tank. With so much to be thankful for, no patch can encompass all of its years of glory.