posted 12-12-2008 09:03 AM            

ISS Expedition 20 Insignia

Expedition 20 will be the 20th long duration mission on-board the International Space Station (ISS) and the first to include six crew members.

Expedition 20 begins with the Soyuz TMA-14 docking and the arrival of three new crew members in May 2009.

• Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, International Space Station commander, and NASA astronaut Michael R. Barratt will launch in March 2009 on Soyuz TMA-14 and return in October 2009 on the same vehicle.
  
• NASA astronaut Tim Kopra will launch on STS-127 and return on STS-128.
  
• Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne will launch in May 2009 on Soyuz TMA-15 and return in November 2009 on the same vehicle.
  
• Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk will launch in May 2009 on Soyuz TMA-15 and return on Soyuz TMA-15.
  
• NASA astronaut Nicole Stott will launch on STS-128 and return in November 2009 on STS-129.

Padalka will be the first commander of two consecutive ISS expeditions (Expedition 19 and 20).

posted 12-21-2008 02:58 PM               

The Expedition 20 patch symbolizes a new era in space exploration with the first six-person crew living and working onboard ISS and represents the significance of the ISS to the exploration goals of NASA and its international partners.

The six gold stars signify the men and women of the crew. The astronaut symbol extends from the base of the patch to the star at the top to represent the international team, both on the ground and on orbit, that are working together to further our knowledge of living and working in space. The space station in the foreground represents where we are now and the important role it is playing towards meeting our exploration goals.

The knowledge and expertise developed from these advancements will enable us to once again leave low earth orbit for the new challenges of establishing a permanent presence on the moon and then on to Mars. The blue, gray and red arcs represent our exploration goals as symbols of Earth, the moon and Mars.