April 08 - 19, 2002
Atlantis

The Crew

December 2001--- These seven astronauts are in training for the STS-110 mission, scheduled to visit the International Space Station early next year. In front, from the left, are astronauts Stephen N. Frick, pilot; Ellen Ochoa, flight engineer; and Michael J. Bloomfield, mission commander; In the back, from left, are astronauts Steven L. Smith, Rex J. Walheim, Jerry L. Ross and Lee M.E. Morin, all mission specialists.

The Artwork

AUGUST 2001 --- The STS-110 mission begins the third and final phase of construction for the International Space Station (ISS) by delivering and installing the SO truss segment that will be carried into orbit in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The Station's robotic arm will remove the SO segment from the Shuttle's payload bay and place it on top of the United States Laboratory. During several space walks, SO will be mechanically attached to ISS, and then multiple cables will be connected allowing electrical power and communications to flow between SO and ISS. The STS-110 crew patch is patterned after the cross section of the SO truss, and encases the launch of the Shuttle Atlantis and a silhouette of the ISS as it will look following mission completion. The successfully installed SO segment is highlighted in gold. The SO truss will serve as the cornerstone for the remaining ISS truss segments which together will span a distance greater than the length of a football field. This truss holds the Station's massive solar arrays, providing electrical power for the modules of all the International Partners, and enables ISS to reach its full potential as a world-class research facility.

The 110 patch was designed by Rex Walheim's wife, Margie Walheim.

Spot the Patch !!!

Astronaut Lee M. E. Morin, STS-110 mission specialist, is photographed during the cake cutting ceremony in the Jake Garn Simulation and Training Facility at the Johnson Space Center (JSC).