ISS Expedition 34 mission patchThe International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 34 begins with the scheduled undocking of Soyuz TMA-05M in November 2012. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz TMA-07M.
Credit: Kevin Ford/NASAExpedition 34 will be commanded by NASA astronaut Kevin Ford. His crew members, all flight engineers, include: Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy, Evgeny Tarelkin and Roman Romanenko, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield.
The outer border of the Expedition 34 patch takes the moldline of a crew transfer or generic resupply vehicle which will form the crew's bridge to the orbiting outpost throughout the second half of its operational lifetime.
Inscribed inside in gold is a craft symbolizing future extra-terrestrial landers that will someday open other celestial destinations to human exploration.
The Sun, which enables the miracle of the only known life in our universe, radiates above the rich and colorful orb of Earth. Its 15 rays represent the countries of the ISS partnership whose foresight and sacrifice have enabled the first small steps into the universe.
The International Space Station in flight represents the dedication, ingenuity, and cooperation amongst the thousands and thousands of workers around the globe who have successfully designed and built a wonder of our modern world.
The distant stars, like those visible in the night sky, beckon us to come further into the depths of space.
"Off the Earth... For the Earth" – The crew's acknowledgement of the responsibility and commitment to work diligently for all inhabitants of Planet Earth.
The ISS Expedition 34 insignia was designed by artists Tim Gagnon and Jorge Cartes.