posted 07-26-2025 03:06 PM               

Those who are familiar with my story are aware I collaborated with astronaut John Phillips (my point of contact, or POC) and the ISS Expedition 11 crew on their mission patch. During the Expedition 11 mission (April-October 2005) I was able to exchange emails with John while he was aboard the ISS. In early July 2005 he asked me to create and email him a "welcome sign" that they would display in the ISS for when the Discovery STS-114 crew docked.

I had a calendar that depicted the ISS in its current (2005) form above the Earth with the Sun behind it. I used a photocopy of that image as the center focus of the sign. Surrounding it I placed photocopies of the STS-114 crew portraits from my painting.

• CDR: Eileen Collins
  
• PLT: Jim Kelly
  
• MS-1: Soichi Noguchi
  
• MS-2: Steve Robinson
  
• MS-3: Andy Thomas
  
• MS-4: Wendy Lawrence
  
• MS-5: Charles Camarda

Another photo taken during docked operations show astronaut Soichi Noguchi in a child's hardhat. The welcome sign is visible in the Destiny Lab behind him just above his left hand. Barely visible to the right are astronauts Jim Kelly and Wendy Lawrence (photo number S114-E-5590).

The sign was printed on the back of a Russian menu as they conserved paper and always used both sides. Before Discovery undocked John asked the Discovery crew to autograph their portraits.

At the bottom he wrote:

This drawing by Tim Gagnon greeted the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery STS-114 upon their arrival at the International Space Station July 2005

John Phillips, Aboard ISS 4 AUGUST 2005.

I'll be honest, it's not easy to let this one go. It has been on my home office wall since the fall of 2005 but it's time for it to find a new home.

posted 07-31-2025 10:56 PM               

In the folder marked "Discovery," I found these two images that I submit as additional provenance for the "Welcome Sign" he requested from me to welcome the STS-114 crew. In the first image Sergei and John are ready to welcome the Discovery crew. In the second image Eileen Collins is holding the sign with a pen in her hand. If you zoom in, you can see the signatures.

Thanks for looking.