posted 09-23-2010 02:22 PM               

Credit: Fragile Oasis/NASA

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Expedition 28 marks the International Space Station's (ISS) 28th long duration mission.

Expedition 28 begins with Soyuz TMA-20 undocking in May 2011. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on TMA-02M.

• NASA astronauts Ron Garan and Mike Fossum
  
• Roscosmos cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko, Alexander Samokutyaev and Sergei Volkov
  
• JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa

Honoring 50 Years of Human Space Flight: Introducing The Expedition 28 Mission Patch
by Ron Garan, Fragile Oasis

It is great honor to introduce the newly approved Expedition 28 mission patch. Our patch has a very special significance to us because through the design we are able to celebrate 50 years of human spaceflight.

In the foreground of the patch, the International Space Station is prominently displayed to acknowledge the efforts of the entire International Space Station (ISS) team -- both the crews who have assembled and operated it, and the team of scientists, engineers, and support personnel on Earth who have provided a foundation for each successful mission. Their efforts and accomplishments have demonstrated the Space Station's capabilities as a technology test bed and a science laboratory, as well as a path to the human exploration of our solar system and beyond. This Expedition 28 patch represents the teamwork among the international partners -- USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the ESA -- and the ongoing commitment from each partner to build, improve, and utilize the ISS.

Prominently displayed in the background is our home planet, Earth - the focus of much of our exploration and research on our outpost in space. Also prominently displayed in the background is the Moon. The Moon is included in the design to stress the importance of our planet's closest neighbor to the future of our world.

Expedition 28 is scheduled to occur during the timeframe of the 50th anniversary of both the first human in space, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and the first American in space, astronaut, Alan Shepard. To acknowledge the significant milestone of 50 years of human spaceflight, the names "Гагарин" and "Shepard" as well as "50 Years" are included in the patch design.

posted 09-23-2010 08:16 PM               

This crew decided (like the 27 crew) to use the same ISS as on Expedition 26 and 27. They wanted to show the continuity of the work from crew to crew.