posted 11-11-2009 09:09 PM               

NASA launches in-house patch contest to mark shuttle era's end

With just six space shuttle flights remaining, the next scheduled to lift off next week, NASA has invited its past and present space program workers to design an emblem to mark the end of the shuttle era. The winning design will be flown on the shuttle before the fleet retires.

The patch design contest, which began Oct. 15 and runs through the first of next month...

posted 11-20-2009 08:15 AM            

I submitted a patch design for the contest since I'm an eligible employee. I'm not an artist so the quality is no where near as good as shown in samples here, but when I was given the oppurtunity to submit something, I thought it was a great idea. I sketched something on paper a few weeks back, colored it, and did a few computer touch ups, and submitted it. I don't really want to post anything until after the due date for submission.

posted 12-04-2009 10:06 PM               

Astronauts, space workers submit designs for NASA's end-of-shuttle patch contest

Two months ago, NASA put out the call to its past and present employees: design a patch to symbolize the end of the space shuttle program coming to a close in 2010 and the chosen artwork will fly to orbit on one of the final flights.

Their in-house patch contest now over -- the deadline for designs expiring Tuesday -- the space agency is sorting through the nearly 100 entries it received, including some offered by those who rode on the shuttles to space...

collectSPACE is working to soon host a public gallery of all the patch designs entered in NASA's contest.

posted 12-06-2009 12:49 PM               

Marc Jacobs, who worked with several shuttle crews (including STS-98 and STS-120) to design their mission patches, developed these two concepts, though unfortunately they were not eligible for the contest.

© Marc Jacobs. All rights reserved.

At left: The shape mimics the original program patch, including the inner white outline. Inside the patch you see the shuttle touching down - the end of its mission - with its nose held high, into the setting sun. There are 14 golden rays in the sunset in honor of the crews of Challenger and Columbia. The swirls of "smoke" coming from the wheels represent the American flag. Six white stars - one for each shuttle in the program, including a smaller one for Enterprise. The four red-white stripes represent the four decades of the program. The shuttle is landing on the Earth, representing the global impact the shuttles have had, in addition to the contribution of astronauts and hardware from around the world. Finally, the white star at the top represents all of the objects the shuttle has placed in orbit, retrieved from orbit, serviced in orbit as well at the International Space Station.

At right: The only symbolism are the 14 stars surrounding the shuttle in honor of the crews of Challenger and Columbia.

© Tim Gagnon. All rights reserved.

The focus of the design is the orbiter coming home for a safe landing at the conclusion of it's final mission. The sun is setting on an extraordinary era while the constellation Orion rises in the sky - the next golden age of exploration? We hope so. The crescent Moon and the red "star" of the planet Mars as seen from Earth are prominently displayed as they represent the goals of the Constellation Program. The galaxy is a tribute to the Great Observatories launched by the space shuttle. Hubble, Chandra, Compton and the knowledge gained from those satellites. The International Space Station passes overhead. Now complete, it continues its mission of science and international cooperation.

The inner border is made up of 135 stars representing every shuttle mission. The first star is blue to honor the work performed in the atmospheric tests of the orbiter "Enterprise." The stars representing the STS- 51L and STS-107 missions are gold to reflect on their ultimate sacrifice. The outer border prominently displays the colors of the Flag of the United States of America - to honor the people who designed, built and supported the program with their blood, sweat, tears and taxes. The fourteen stars in the sky honor the memory of the astronauts who lost their lives aboard Challenger and Columbia.

The names of every orbiter surround the design in gold. Each orbiter was assigned a team of people who cared for it and flew it. These names honor all of those people. The legend "Space Shuttle" honors all those who supported the program in other ways. From the administrators to the clerical staff and maintenance workers - and to those who cheered on from the sidelines. The dates 1976 - 2010 were chosen because the first orbiter rolled out of the assembly plant on September 17, 1976 "Constitution Day" during our Bicentennial Year. The last wheels stop is scheduled to occur in September, 2010.

posted 12-06-2009 02:45 PM               

To give the judges a variety of options to choose from, I created four different designs with several variations for each one. It was difficult to guess what approach NASA might be looking for, so in some of my designs I emphasized the accomplishments of the Space Shuttle program and in others I simply represented the three decades of orbital operations of the shuttle, itself.

After submitting three of my designs, Debbie Byerly informed me that they were asking each artist to submit only one design. That made for a challenging choice to be made. After talking it over with my wife and a friend who is also a fellow collectSPACE forum member, I decided to enter the first design shown here.

© Dave Ginsberg. All rights reserved.

Above: The design celebrates the Space Shuttle's thirty years of orbital operations (1981 - 2010) and the many great accomplishments of the Space Shuttle program. It is modeled after the traditional mission crew patches that have been used on space flights since the 1960's.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown prominently over the Earth. Three other spacecraft join the Space Shuttle in this design, symbolizing just a few of the many achievements made possible by the Shuttle program.

To the left of the Shuttle is the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched, assembled, and populated largely by Space Shuttle missions (together with Russian modules and vehicles).

Shown above the ISS is an astronaut floating free in space using a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). The MMU was first demonstrated in space on a Shuttle flight.

To the right of the orbiter is the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble was launched into space, placed in orbit, and serviced several times using the Space Shuttle. Stars and a galaxy represent the expanding knowledge of the universe the Hubble has given us.

The Moon and Mars are illustrated to represent the future direction of human space exploration, and the many science achievements the Space Shuttle program has contributed toward those goals.

Six small stars represent the six orbiters in the Shuttle fleet. The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design.

The two seven pointed stars, placed near the names of Columbia and Challenger pay tribute to the loss of those orbiters and the seven member astronaut crews of each of those missions.

© Dave Ginsberg. All rights reserved.

Above: This simple graphic design emphasizes the three decades the U.S. space program used shuttles to send humans and equipment into orbit.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown in glowing silhouette orbiting a brilliant blue crescent Earth. The Earth's near circle creates part of the number 30, the number of years the Shuttles will have flown in space since the first flight in 1981 to the final flight projected to be in 2010.

The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design.

© Dave Ginsberg. All rights reserved.

Above: The design celebrates the Space Shuttle's thirty years of orbital operations (1981 - 2010).

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown in glowing silhouette. The booster rockets and external tank are rendered in white and gray, recalling the design of the original Space Shuttle program patch as well as the painted white external tank used during the first launches.

The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) surround the design.

A variation of the basic design includes the MMU, Hubble, and ISS.

© Dave Ginsberg. All rights reserved.

Above: This simple triangular design celebrates the Space Shuttle's thirty years of orbital operations.

The Space Shuttle Orbiter is shown in glowing silhouette. Three blue shock diamonds represent the three decades the Space Shuttle has been in service.

The triangular shape recalls the design of the original Space Shuttle program patch.

The names of the six vehicles of the fleet (including Enterprise) fan out below the Orbiter.

posted 12-07-2009 06:03 AM               

Marc I have to say I consider myself lucky you're not an eligible employee. I went up against you once before and came up short. You're a very talented artist!

Dave a very thoughtful design. I can tell it came from your heart and I think you've got an excellent shot.

Rocketman - I never thought about multiple entries. Super job! If you don't win this competition, I hope you'll send them to the USPS. I see some excellent commemorative stamps in your designs.

posted 12-07-2009 11:31 AM            

Dave G., I really like your triangle design. In looking at it the designer in me couldn't be restrained and I had a couple of design ideas I thought I'd toss out. I wonder if you considered making the shuttle silhouette something other than black? (Too somber.) Perhaps, a royal blue with the colored stripes shades of red-orange-yellow? Also, what if you extend the bottom of the triangle, under the names, and mimic the original shuttle patch by including "Space Shuttle"? Just my 2 cents. But they really are well done. Congrats.

posted 12-16-2009 09:54 AM               

© Sean Collins. All rights reserved.

My design of the Space Shuttle Program Commemorative patch is based on Expanding New Horizons to our future in Human Space Exploration. I picked the most dramatic angle of the Shuttle I could find to highlight the magnificence of the most complicated space vehicle in the world. The sunrise/sunset means two things: (1) The beginning of a new program, and (2) The sunset days of the Space Shuttle Program. The stars honor the Astronauts who lost their lives on Challenger and Columbia, and they are in the same star configu- ration as they appeared on the STS-51L and the STS-107 patches. The blue and red colors in the Commemorative patch are the same blue and red colors that are in the NASA Meatball, signifying what a large part the Space Shuttle has been to the essence of NASA. The dates on the patch represent the first and last flights of the Space Shuttle.

posted 12-17-2009 01:09 AM               

If art is a representation of feeling, then what we’ve seen so far is but a small indication of the variety of emotions the Shuttle Program has excited from within the human spirit. Speaking for myself, seeing all these great designs and reading about the symbolism certainly elicits a variety of feelings and memories about the Space Shuttles and their missions.

One common theme I am noticing is the idea of the “sunset” to represent the end of the program. And, the additional symbolism of a “sunrise” provides a very positive and optimistic double meaning. I have to admit that I’m kicking myself for missing that one when creating my designs.

Other examples of creative symbolism that pop out for me … Marc Jacobs’ use of orbiter planforms as olive branch leaves or “scrambled eggs” (with perhaps 30 on each side for 30 years?); Tim Gagnon’s 135 stars representing every shuttle mission (with two gold ones for the lost ships, plus one blue one for the Enterprise tests); LMDAVE’s day/night opposition to span the beginning and the end.

My overall favorite, so far, has to be Sean Collins’ design. Sean, yours has a very dynamic and three-dimensional look. I like how the shuttle stack blasts toward the viewer and breaks though the enclosing circle of the patch. That is a very powerful image. I am enjoying the rendering style used on the shuttle stack, as well. It is clear that your skills are well suited to your occupation.

posted 12-22-2009 05:22 AM               

Designing an uplifting end to NASA's space shuttle program

From pencil sketches to crayon drawings, vague concepts to professional-looking layouts, the 85 designs NASA received for a patch to symbolize the end of its space shuttle program varied as widely as the past and present employees who created them.

That was exactly what the contest organizers had hoped would happen...

posted 12-22-2009 08:58 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by lewarren:
I may have missed it, but I didn't see a single image of a Spacelab in a payload bay.

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posted 12-22-2009 11:09 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
SPACEHAB is depicted inside the payload bay in designs 63 and 64.

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posted 12-22-2009 02:27 PM            

For something that represents an entire program, there seems no way to include everything the shuttle ever did short of overstuffing a patch with Hubbles, stations, Spacelabs, dates, etc. I love the clean, elegant designs such as Mike Okuda and Robert McCall's shuttle patches plus the STS-4 patch, which have rarely been matched by patches in recent years (STS 127 being an outstanding exception). They say it all without showing it all.

Dave, your simple and elegant design above has class, spirit and a message that everyone can grasp. It also (rightly) includes Enterprise. It doesn't make the mistake of trying to be a mission patch - instead it works wonderfully as a graphic symbol.