The Artwork

The crew patch for STS-81, the fifth Shuttle-Mir docking mission, is shaped to represent the Roman numeral V. The Space Shuttle Atlantis, OV-104, is launching toward a rendezvous with Russia's Mir Space Station, silhouetted in the background. Atlantis and the STS-81 crew will spend several days docked to Mir during which time astronaut Jerry M. Linenger (NASA-Mir 4) will replace astronaut John E. Blaha (NASA-Mir 3) as the United States crew member onboard Mir. Scientific experiments and logistics will also be transferred between Atlantis and Mir.

The United States and Russian flags are depicted along with the names of the Shuttle crew members: Michael A. Baker, commander; Brent W. Jett, pilot; Peter J. K.(Jeff) Wisoff, mission specialist 1; John W. Grunsfeld, mission specialist 2; Marsha S. Ivins, mission specialist 3; Linenger; mission specialist 4; and Blaha, mission specialist 5.