Soyuz TMA-16 Mission Patch - Now Available!

The Soyuz TMA-16 patch was based on artwork provided by 14-year old Anastasia Mestyashova from the Orenburg region in Russia. Central elements are a cosmonaut figure and three large stars, one for each launching crewmember: American astronaut Jeff Williams (dark blue star), Space Adventures participant Guy Laliberte (light blue star) and their Russian spacecraft commander Maxim Surayev (red star). The flags of the cosmonauts' home countries - Russia, the United States and Canada - are shown at the top of the shield. In the upper left corner, simple shapes symbolize the building blocks of the universe and life on Earh. The 'cradle of mankind', from which the mission originates, is depicted by a growing plant, gradually transforming into a fiery rocket trail and a spacecraft, bound for the International Space Station.

The ISS is drawn like a gold star, with 9 rays for each crewmember present when the Soyuz TMA-16 has arrived. The colors of the 6 stars and 3 shapes in the upper left corner, also represent the crew make up. Red for the three Russians, dark blue for the three Americans, light blue for the two Canadians and gold for soon-to-be ISS commander De Winne from Belgium.

The plant and rocket trail together form a '16', the Soyuz TMA mission number. The Earth in the background has the typical grid pattern seen in earlier Soviet and Russian space logo's, heralding all heroes of the Vostok, Woshkod and Soyuz flights of the past. The surnames of Williams and Laliberte are companied by the NASA and One Drop Foundation logo's respectively.

In the same area, a small red star and small blue star are included for the future, safe return of Surayev and Williams, who together will land in the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft in March 2010.
Padalka, Barratt and Laliberte have returned from the ISS - see previous post.

For Soyuz TMA Patches please visit the Spaceboosters Online Store