The Crew
The crewmembers of Space Shuttle mission STS-61 were; Dick Covey, Ken Bowersox, Story Musgrave, Claude Nicollier, Tom Akers, Kathy Thorton and Jeff Hoffman.
The Artwork
Designed by the crew members, the STS- 61 crew insignia depicts the astronaut symbol superimposed against the sky with the Earth underneath. Also seen are two circles representing the optical configuration of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Light is focused by reflections from a large primary mirror and a smaller secondary mirror. The light is analyzed by various instruments and, according to the crewmembers, "brings to us on Earth knowledge about planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial objects, allowing us to better understand the complex physical processes at work in the universe." The Space Shuttle Endeavour is also represented as the fundamental tool that allows the crew to perform the first servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope so its scientific deep space mission may be extended for several years to come. The overall design of the emblem, with lines converging to a high point, is also a symbolic representation of the large-scale Earth- based effort -- which involves space agencies, industry and the universities -- to reach goals of knowledge and perfection.
Crew Evaluation Version
above: The crew evaluation version of the STS-61 patch.
below: Details of the final version of the patch and the evaluation version.
