January 09 - 20, 1990
Columbia

Crew & Mission

(S32-S-003 - December 1989) --- Seasons Greetings from the STS-32 crew. Seasonally attired in their customized Shuttle launch and enty suits, the crew of Columbia posed for this special holiday portrait as a means of wishing their families, friends and NASA co-workers the very best for a happy holiday season. Left to right are astronauts; G. David Low, Marsha S. Ivins, Daniel C. Brandenstein, James D. Wetherbee and Bonnie J. Dunbar.

Note: When the photo was taken along with the traditional crew portrait, the flight of STS-32 was scheduled to be launched on December 18, 1989 and was expected to be in space over the Christmas holiday period. As of December 18, the flight has been rescheduled for no earlier than January 8, 1990.

The Artwork

(S32-S-001) --- The STS-32 patch, designed by the five crewmembers for the scheduled December 1989 space mission, depicts the Space Shuttle orbiter rendezvousing with the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite from above. The Syncom satellite is successfully deployed and on its way to geosynchronous orbit. Five stars have been arranged so that three are one side of the orbiter and two on the other to form the number 32. The seven major rays of the sun are in remembrance of the crewmembers for STS 51-L. In preparation for the first Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) missions, STS-32 will conduct a number of medical and mid- deck scientific experiments. The caduceus on the left represents the medical experiments, and the crystalline structure on the right represents the materials science.

Other Design

Space Shuttle Mission STS-32 T-Shirt with alternate crew patch:
Daniel Brandenstein = B+11, James B. Wetherbee = WXB (Weather B), Bonnie J. Dunbar = BJ, Masha Ivins = MI, G. David Low (acutal name).
In the middle of the logo it shows the shuttle with an open cargo bay and a baseball glove on the arm. It is reaching out to catch a burning satelite with a tomato vine around it. One of the missions tasks was to retrieve the Long Duration Exposure Facility on 12 January 1990.