Topic: TMA-09M / ISS 36/37: Luca Parmitano's patch
carl walker Member
Posts: 168 From: Netherlands Registered: Feb 2006
posted 09-07-2012 08:24 AM
European Space Agency (ESA) release
Luca Parmitano flying high
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is set to fly to the International Space Station in 2013, and his mission came a step a closer with the unveiling of his mission name and mission patch today.
Luca will spend six months on the International Space Station on Expedition 36/37 under an agreement with Italy's ASI space agency and NASA.
A competition was opened for Italian residents to suggest a mission name and logo. Luca took time out from his busy training schedule in the run-up to his mission to present the winning entries.
32 year-old Norberto Cioffi sent in the winning mission name 'Volare', meaning 'to fly' in Italian. The name symbolises the search for new frontiers and opportunities for discovery.
The winning logo was designed by 28-year-old Ilaria Sardella from San Giorgio Ionico in Southern Italy.
The logo was chosen because it contains many elements of Luca's mission: the Soyuz spacecraft that will fly him to the orbital outpost, the Station itself and the colours of the Italian flag.
The orbits represent humans' desire to travel beyond Earth and the Sun as well as our curiosity for knowledge. Both winners of the competition will travel to Star City to follow Luca's training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre near Moscow, Russia.
The winners were announced at an event in Rome with Luca and the president of ASI.
Luca joined ESA's astronaut corps in 2009. Follow the astronaut's blog for regular updates on his training as well as updates from other ESA astronauts.
spaceman Member
Posts: 912 From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK Registered: Dec 2002
posted 09-07-2012 09:27 AM
Great design with all of the essential elements and best wishes for the mission Luca. I was hoping to have a go at the naming competition. I'm sure in the past they have been open to residents of ESA member countries. 'renaISSance' was going to be my suggestion continuing with the 'ISS' in the name theme;the Italian connection with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Apollo 8 Member
Posts: 163 From: Vienna, AUSTRIA Registered: Oct 2010
posted 09-09-2012 10:14 PM
My compliments to the patch designers Noberto Cioffi and Illaria Sardella! Wonderful! - I hope, I will be able to buy one of these "Volare" patches.
And: Good luck and Godspeed to our ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano for his journey next year! The Italians are our neighbours south of the Austrian border.
MSS Member
Posts: 358 From: Kolo, Poland Registered: May 2003
posted 11-10-2012 03:09 PM
What is a patch on Luca's right shoulder from this photo?
carl walker Member
Posts: 168 From: Netherlands Registered: Feb 2006
posted 12-03-2012 07:02 AM
I asked Luca, and this was his answer:
"The patch you see on my left arm in this picture is a "Special Edition" from an Italian fan club called ARSV (Amici Reparto Sperimentale Volo - Friends of the Experimental Test Wing). They are aviation enthusiasts with a knack for test airplanes, and their mascot is Wily Coyote - because he's always trying new things that he builds himself. The normal patch has a Typhoon aircraft on a black background, with the exhaust gas making an Italian flag. When I was assigned to a Soyuz flight, they made a special edition just for me, with the Soyuz (superimposed on an F104 Starfighter) and a background of the Earth."
MSS Member
Posts: 358 From: Kolo, Poland Registered: May 2003
Posts: 327 From: Lansing, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2012
posted 12-03-2012 05:38 PM
Why does his ESA patch, on his right chest, only have 18 flags?
The current version of that patch has 19, and with Poland just joining, there will be 20. If memory serves...
carl walker Member
Posts: 168 From: Netherlands Registered: Feb 2006
posted 12-04-2012 04:22 PM
The 18-flag patch is probably the one he was issued with back in 2009. Since then, yes we updated the patch to 19 states (ready for Andre Kuipers' flight) and now we are updating again for the Poland entry. Luca's training suits can be seen with the old 18 flag version, but he will be issued with a 20-flag patch before he launches.
Apollo 8 Member
Posts: 163 From: Vienna, AUSTRIA Registered: Oct 2010
posted 01-27-2013 06:23 PM
I want to buy one of these beautiful "Volare" patches for my collection. Are these patches available commercially anywhere?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 26766 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-07-2013 06:22 PM
Luca Parmitano discusses the choice of mission names and the design of the Volare patch in this video from the European Space Agency:
carl walker Member
Posts: 168 From: Netherlands Registered: Feb 2006
posted 03-09-2013 04:49 AM
quote:Originally posted by Apollo 8: Are these patches available commercially anywhere?
The Volare mission patch will not be available commercially unfortunately. They are being produced in a limited run by the Italian space agency (ASI). Some may be available at public events, not known at this time. But the expedition patches and Soyuz patches are available from your regular sources!
posted 09-07-2012 08:24 AM
advertisement