March 13 - 18, 1989
Discovery

Crew & Mission

(S89-25082 - 4 January 1989) --- STS-29 Discovery, OV-103, official crew portrait includes Commander Michael L. Coats, Pilot John E. Blaha, Mission Specialist (MS) James F. Buchli, MS Robert C. Springer, and MS James P. Bagian. Seated are Blaha (left) and Coats with (left to right) Bagian, Springer, Buchli standing. Crew patch or emblem is displayed in the background.

The Artwork

(12 December 1988) --- The STS-29 patch was designed to capture and represent the energy and dynamic nature of this nation's space program as America continues to look to the future. The folded ribbon border, the first of its kind in the Shuttle patch series, gives a sense of three dimensional depth to the emblem. The stylistic orbital maneuvering system (ONS) burn symbolizes the powerful forward momentum of the Shuttle and a continuing determination to explore the frontiers of space. The colors of the U.S. flag are represented in the patch's basic red, white, and blue background. In the border, the seven stars between the STS-29 crew names are a tribute to the crew of Challenger.