posted 08-30-2015 09:59 AM               

Among the attendees were Star Trek's Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, and astronauts Guy Bluford, Al Drew, Jeanette Epps, Vic Glover, Fred Gregory, Bernard Harris, Joan Higginbotham, Livingston Holder, Leland Melvin, Bobby Satcher, Winston Scott, Joe Tanner and Stephanie Wilson.

Leland Melvin and Bobby Satcher shared photos on Twitter:

As part of the festivities, Our Shades of Blue commissioned Tim Gagnon (cS: KSCArtist) to design a commemorative patch:

The overall shape is reminiscent of the Star Trek badge but different enough to avoid issues. The shape is our tribute to the efforts of Nichelle Nichols to recruit women and minorities into the astronaut program.

The focal point of the design is the space shuttle orbiter, mission complete, payload bay doors closed ready to come home. Above the orbiter in the distance we see the moon and Mars — past and future goals of human space exploration. Above and to the left, the International Space Station orbits the Earth. To the right in a higher orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope peers into deep space.

Below the orbiter two U.S. Air Force jets fly in formation. They pay tribute to Ed Dwight and Robert Lawrence who endured much to pave the way for those who came after.

At the apex of the design, a brilliant star. It's up the viewer to decide what it represents. The heavens beckoning? or maybe Lt. Uhura's starship just jumped into warp speed.

The twenty stars in the sky represent every African American astronaut who served either in the USAF or NASA. They provide inspiration to the next generation of explorers; black and white, male and female. "Because they did, we can!" (The Our Shades of Blue motto.)