The blue background is symbolic of the United States Air Force (USAF). The primary mission of the AFRL is to support the warfighting needs of the USAF, and this background reminds us that we are part of the AF Crew

The five stars represent our historical roots in the organizations from which the AFRL was created—Armstrong Lab, Phillips Lab, Rome Lab, Wright Lab, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research—and which collectively establish the AFRL as a world leader in all Air Force-relevant technologies

The guiding star at the top signifies the greatness we can achieve

In the center of the shield is a craft formed in the shape of a three-dimensional triangle. The triangular symbol represents a marriage of aircraft, missile, and
spacecraft

The craft is silver and white in color to give the impression of quick flight, and straightforward in design to highlight the constant and steady advances enabled by our research and development

The craft is pointing to the heavens as it rolls back the night. Thus, through research and development, the light of understanding replaces the darkness of ignorance

Finally, the shield is simple. The uncluttered nature allows both AFRL members and outside associates to easily recognize and remember the shield. Its simplicity also reminds us that all technologies, capabilities, and systems—no matter how powerful or complex—started from fundamental research in a laboratory

On the red outer border, in the upper section, lists the last names of the two American and one Russian  Expedition 4 crew members, Daniel W. Bursch, Carl E. Walz, and Юрий Иванович Онуфриенко (Yuri Ivanovich Onufriyenko)

On the red outer border, in the lower section, separated from the upper section by two five-pointed stars, are the English and Russian acronyms for International Space Station, ISS and MKC (Международная Космическая Станция, or Międzynarodowa Kosmiczna Stacja)

Has stylized American and Russian flags representing the international crew’s dual countries of origin

Has an overall diamond shape, representing the “diamond in the rough” condition of the then three-year-old space station at the time of Expedition 4

The upper, half-hexagon-shaped portion of the patch also represents a cross sectional view of the S0 truss segment, also called the Center Integrated Truss Assembly Starboard 0 Truss, attached to the top of the ISS Destiny Laboratory Module in April 2002 during Expedition 4. This truss formed the center backbone of the Space Station

The persistent sun shining on the Earth and the station represents the constant challenges that the crew and ground support team faced daily while operating the International Space Station, while shedding new light through daily research (Expedition 4 included nearly twice the number of scientific experiments performed during previous ISS Expeditions)

The green portion of the Earth represents the fourth color in the visible spectrum (for Expedition 4), and the black void of space represents mankind’s constant quest to explore the unknown

On the upper border is the wording “Res Gesta Per Excellentiam” — “Achieve through Excellence.”  Similar to one of the Air Force’s Core Values, Excellence In All We Do, it represents an individual and team commitment to “a  belief, craftsmanship, and perseverance, qualities required to continue the exploration of space and the quest for the stars”

The Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, MIR and ISS programs are represented in the legacy ring on the bottom

The sigma “Σ” represents the total mission team, including astronauts, flight controllers, instructors, pilots, flight design, mission planning and production, facility development and operations and other support teams

The launch vector plume, divided into three parts, with an orbital path circling it, represents the astronauts that are at the forefront of space exploration. It also represents the dynamic elements of space, the initial escape from our environment, and the thrust to explore the universe

The orbiting star symbolizes a permanent human presence in space, conducting research, developing materials, and leading the expanding utilization of the space environment

A single stationary star, positioned on Earth over Houston, represents the home of America’s human spaceflight operations

The seventeen blue stars represent NASA’s 17 fallen astronauts (three from Apollo 1 ground testing in 1967, seven from the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, and seven more from the space shuttle Columbia in 2003). This serves as a reminder of the real human cost and risks inherent in space flight and the ultimate responsibility the Flight Operations team bears in facing those risks

The four white stars in the background represent the four original principles of the Flight Operations team: discipline, morale, toughness, and competence, plus the core principles of confidence, responsibility, teamwork, and vigilance

In the upper right of the emblem, the Moon and Mars represent NASA’s mission to lead the nation’s permanent journey out of low Earth orbit

Mission Name: Challenger STS 51-L

Christa McAuliffe, one of the crew members, was expected to be the first teacher in space.

Mission Objective: To bring back information on Halley’s comet.

Images of the shuttle, Halley’s comet, and the teacher’s apple by McAuliffe’s name depict unique aspects of the mission. The shuttle’s orbit heading outward from the patch represents the quest to reach beyond our reality and into our dreams.

This mission was scheduled to fly the Halley’s Comet Experiment Deployable, a free-flying module designed to observe tail and coma of Halley’s comet with two ultraviolet spectrometers and two cameras.

The red, white, and blue represent the US flag since all of the astronauts were from the same country. Seven stars are visible on the patch, one for each of the astronauts.

The shape and size of the patch provides space for the names of the seven astronauts and the orbit path of the shuttle.