In the military, it is tradition to design a patch to symbolize a mission. Since many of the first astronauts came from the military, this tradition came along with them. It was the crew of Gemini 4 that wore the first patch. They wore the American flag. However, it was the crew of Gemini 5 that designed the first patch. They put a covered wagon on it to symbolize the pioneer days. Since their capsule would set a record for days in orbit (8 days), they felt they were like pioneers, too. Now, it is custom for all NASA missions to have a patch to represent their goals.

There were seven original astronauts in the Mercury mission. They really were Americas astronauts. click for photos

The Mercury astronauts actually flew without mission patches. Patches didnt come into style until the Gemini program. This patch was designed after the program ended. The Arabic number 7 represents the seven original astronauts. The other figure is the astronomical symbol of the planet Mercury.

Project Mercury was the United States' first man-in-space program. The objectives of the program, which made six manned flights from 1961 to 1963, were: To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth To investigate man's ability to function in space To recover both man and spacecraft safely Astronaut John Glenn went into orbit on Feb. 20, 1962.

The Gemini project meant longer periods in space. The project also coordinated the first spacewalk. It was the bridge to the Moon. click for photos

There were two pilots in the second mission of the space program. The patch shows the roman numeral two with the two stars of the constellation Gemini. Gemini in the Zodiac represents the twinsCastor and Pollux.

The second U.S. manned space program was announced in January Its two-man crew gave it its name, Gemini, for the constellation and its twin stars, Castor and Pollux. Its goals : To subject man and equipment to space flight for up to two weeks To dock with orbiting vehicles To safely enter the atmosphere and land at a point on land The first orbiter launched in March 1965.

The Apollo project will always be remembered for the Apollo 11 moon landing that made history. click for photos

The goal of the Apollo program was to put a man on the moon. The patch shows the orbiter on a clear path to the moon. The Apollo program suffered a setback when the Apollo 1 crew died in a launch pad fire. They wore their patch on their right breast. After the fire, all other crews wore the patch on their left breast.

Project Apollo's goals went beyond landing Americans on the Moon and returning them safely to Earth. The goals: Establishing the technology to meet national interests in space Achieving preeminence in space for the United States Carrying out a program of scientific exploration of the Moon Developing man's capability to work in the lunar environment Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.

The Apollo Soyuz project paved the way for a manned space station and international cooperation.

Apollo Soyuz was an important step for the U.S. and Russia because it meant less tension in the space race. The three stars represent the three U.S. astronauts. The two stars represent the two cosmonauts. Lettering is in both English and Russian, but no flags are depicted because of the international tone of the test project.

The Apollo Soyuz was a meeting in space between the U.S. and Russia. The American Apollo capsule docked with the Russian spacecraft. It was the first international manned spaceflight. The mission of this meeting was to test docking systems for American and Soviet spacecraft. It was also meant to open the way for international cooperation. Success would mean more future joint manned flights. It was the last Apollo mission and the last manned space flight until the launch of the space shuttle program in 1981.

Skylab proved humans could live and work in space for long periods of time. It was visited three times between 1973 and 1979.

Skylab was the United States first space station. The patch bears the name of the country that single-handedly launched the lab. The patch is very simple. It displays the lab in orbit.

Skylab was America's first experimental space station. Designed for long missions, Skylab had two goals: To prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods To expand our knowledge of solar astronomy beyond Earth- based observations. Crews occupied the Skylab workshop for a total of 171 days. It was the site of nearly 300 scientific experiments.

The first true aerospace vehicle, the space shuttle changed the face of space flight. click for photos

The space shuttle patch is one of the simplest. It displays the booster (fuel tank) that carries the shuttle to space. The triangular shape points upward to the stars.

The first reusable space transport vehicle, the space shuttle carried people, telescopes, satellites, and space station parts to space for thirty years. Six vehicles were built: the Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Two disasters occurred during the program. On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds after launch. In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry because of damage to heat tiles caused during launch. The last shuttle mission officially ended the program on July 21, 2011.

In 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev began talks to cooperate in space. 30 years later, the shuttle docked with Mir.

The patch shows the space shuttle and Mir docked in space. Behind, the sun shines, a symbol for hope. The patch is outlined in U.S. and Russian colors. The ribbons are intertwined to show cooperation.

The Shuttle-Mir Program gave NASA opportunities, challenges, and lessons to learn. It helped prepare NASA to build the International Space Station. Its goals: To Learn how to work with international partners To reduce risks of developing a space station To gain experience on long-term missions To conduct life science, microgravity, and environmental research

Launched in 1998, the international space station is the largest space station ever constructed. It continues to be constructed in orbit. click for photos

This patch contains more detail than other patches. The international space station is shown surrounded by a chain. The links represent cooperation from different countries. The laurel leaves at the bottom are a symbol of friendship.

In 1998, the first two modules of the International Space Station were launched and joined together in orbit. Other modules soon followed. The first crew arrived in the year The space station continues to be assembled in orbit and involves the U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan, and the participating countries of the European Space Agency. So far, it has been visited by astronauts from 14 countries.