Harmony (ISS)

• Dragon Crew-8, composed of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Grebenkin, is ready to stand the watch on its mission to maintain a continuous human research presence in low-Earth orbit represented by the never-ending path of a Latin numeral 8 with the dragon bowing with respect to the destination, the International Space Station.

• Node 2 was built in Europe by Thales Alenia Space Italy (TAS-I) under contract of the European Space Agency. It incorporates six berthing ports: two in the longitudinal axis and four on the radial perpendicular axes. Node 2 is attached to the forward end of the U.S. laboratory and connects Columbus, the European laboratory, on the starboard side; Kibo, the Japanese laboratory, on the port side; the Pressurized Mating Adaptor 2 (PMA-2) on the forward side, which provides a docking location for visiting vehicles; on the nadir (Earth-facing) side, Node 2 provides a berthing port for the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), a Japanese cargo vehicle as well as commercial cargo vehicles. In March 2017, the PMA3 (then on Node 3) was relocated to provide a second US docking port on the zenith port of Node 2. In addition, Node 2 provides Crew Quarters for 4 crew members as well as vital functional resources for the operation of the connected elements, namely the conversion and distribution of the electrical power, heating, cooling resources from the ISS Integrated Truss, and support of the data and video exchange with the ground and the rest of the ISS.

Pressurized Mating Adapters (PMAs) NASA/Boeing

• Three conical docking adapters, called Pressurized Mating Adapters, attach to the Nodes’ berthing mechanisms. The other sides of the adapters allow for docking vehicles. PMA-1 connects the U.S. and Russian segments while PMA-2 and PMA-3 serve as docking ports for future commercial crew vehicles. PMA-2 is located on the Node 2 forward port and PMA-3 was located on Node 3 port. In March 2017 PMA-3 was relocated to the Node 2 zenith port. The ISS at that point will have two permanent docking ports.
• PMA-1, 2 and 3 structures are identical. The PMA structure is a truncated conical shell with a 28 inch axial offset in the diameters between the end rings.

• "The determined expression of the Dragon reflects the strength of the team and their contribution to the exploration of space. The five large stars represent the five partner space agencies coopering the International Space Station program."
• This is only a vectorized version of the PNG, used as a placeholder until there is a native vector version available

• For STS-129 the sun shines brightly on the International Space Station (ISS) above and the United States below representing the bright future of U.S. human spaceflight. The contiguous U.S., Rocky Mountains, and Great Desert Southwest are clearly visible on the earth below encompassing all the NASA centers and the homes of the many dedicated people that work to make our Space Program possible. The integrated shapes of the patch signifying the two Express Logistics Carriers that will be delivered by STS-129 providing valuable equipment ensuring the longevity of the ISS. The Space Shuttle is vividly silhouetted by the sun highlighting how brightly the Orbiters have performed as a workhorse for the U.S. Space Program over the past 3 decades. The Space Shuttle ascends on the Astronaut symbol portrayed by the Red, White and Blue swoosh bounded by the gold halo. This symbol is worn with pride by this U.S. crew representing their country on STS-129. The names of the crew members are denoted on the outer band of the patch. As STS-129 launches, the Space Shuttle is in its twilight years. This fact is juxtaposed by the 13 stars on the patch which are symbolic of our children who are the future. The Moon and Mars feature predominantly to represent just how close humankind is to reaching further exploration of those heavenly bodies and how the current Space Shuttle and ISS missions are laying the essential ground work for those future endeavors.

• TSIS (Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor)
• MISSE-FF (Materials on ISS Experiment-Flight Facility)
• SDS (Space Debris Sensor)

• The STS-122 patch depicts the continuation of the voyages of the early explorers to today's frontier, space. The ship denotes the travels of the early expeditions from the east to the west. The space shuttle shows the continuation of that journey along the orbital path from west to east. A little more than 500 years after Columbus sailed to the new world, the STS-122 crew will bring the European laboratory module "Columbus" to the International Space Station to usher in a new era of scientific discovery.

• Central to the Crew-7 patch is the colorful Earth, with its beauty and magnificence standing out against the white dragon and black background. The caring dragon holds the Earth protectively, highlighting that every aspect of Crew-7’s long-duration mission is ultimately for the benefit of our home planet and those on it. The dragon is a shoutout to the namesake of the Crew Dragon capsule delivering the crew of four to and from the International Space Station.
• The dragon is on guard for threats against the Earth, its neck craned in the shape of a “7” to represent the seventh operational flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. The dragon’s tail curves upwards towards a golden star, symbolizing the ascent towards the stars in honor of the pioneering spirit and perseverance that continue to propel us further in human space exploration.
• The colors blue, white, and red on the tail symbolize the international make-up of the four crew members, with the colors encompassing those used in the flags of all four nations – the United States of America, Denmark, Japan, and the Russian Federation. The crew is proud to represent the progress that can be achieved for all of humanity when we work together in unity. The Crew-7 astronauts would like to dedicate this patch to all those who contributed to the success of the Crew-7 mission, especially their families, and to the next generation of explorers.

• The paw print is in reference to NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS), which is launching in the Dragon's unpressurized trunk. CATS will be mounted on JAXA's Kibo Exposed Facility to study atmospheric constituents that impact global climate.

• The STS-124/1J patch depicts the Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station (ISS). STS-124/1J is dedicated to delivering and installing the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) known as Kibo (Hope) to the ISS. The significance of the mission and the Japanese contribution to the ISS is recognized by the Japanese flag depicted on the JEM Pressurized Module (JPM) and the word Kibo written in Japanese at the bottom of the patch. The view of the sun shining down upon the Earth represents the increased "hope" that the entire world will benefit from the JEM's scientific discoveries. The JPM will be the largest habitable module on the ISS and is equipped with its own airlock and robotic arm for external experiments. In addition to delivering and installing the JPM, the STS-124 crew will relocate the JEM Logistics Pressurized (JLP) module to its permanent home on the zenith side of the JPM. During three planned space walks, the crew will perform external ISS maintenance and JPM outfitting, as well as extensive robotic operations by the ISS, space shuttle, and JEM robotic arms. It will be the first time that three different robotic arms will be operated during a single space flight mission.

Kjell Lindgren described the meaning behind the patch:

The free-flying Dragon capsule forms the thorax of the central element of the patch, the Dragonfly – a beautiful and agile flyer. For many, the dragonfly represents transformation and good fortune. On its way to the International Space Station, the capsule appears suspended in low Earth orbit with the Earth below and Moon above. Four bright stars represent the four crewmembers’ families and their steadfast patience, love and support. The remaining multitude of stars represent the countless members of the NASA, SpaceX and international partner teams, whose ingenuity, vigilance and tireless work has made this mission possible.

• The Crew Dragon Crew-3 patch highlights the beauty of space and the vehicle that is delivering our team to the International Space Station.
• The sunlit capsule heralds the dawn of a new era of human space flight, as commercial vehicles expand into low earth orbit. The capsule flies upward, thrusting beyond the edge of the circle, representing an international effort that pushes to reach new heights of space exploration. The flames below the capsule honor the of thousands of workers who contributed to the US commercial vehicle effort — the fire in their hearts propels the program's success.
• Since Crew-3 is the third operational flight to the Space Station, the number three figures prominently in both the shape of the exhaust below the capsule and the highlighted stars. A dragon is embedded in the exhaust opposite the three for the capsule's namesake.
• Finally, four red planets represent the four crew members of the mission, as well as humanity's dream to explore Mars and even more distant planetary bodies.

• The patch shape is that of a Maltese Cross, which is a universal symbol for fire fighters worldwide with traditions rooted in bravery, honor, and courage. The primary black and red colors of the patch, traditional colors of the fire service, represent energy and strength with red and power and elegance in black.
• From the Dragon trunk, the ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) payload is prominent ready to receive energy from the sun cresting over the Earth's horizon. The ISS is flying above the earth with the 2B and 4B solar arrays highlighted as those are the ones being augmented with the iROSA on this flight.
• The Maltese Cross is not payload specific in this case, rather a recognition of the values highlighted in the patch's description.