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Canadian Patch

This insignia commemorates Major Chris Hadfield's participation in Mission STS-74 in late 1995. The sun, as viewed from Earth orbit with the Space Shuttle Atlantis and Mir Space Station flying close together, rises on a new era for Canada - Canadian Mission Specialists going to Space Station. The Canadarm is depicted in a crucial phase of the mission, when Major Hadfield attaches a Mir Docking Module to a docking port in the payload bay of the orbiter, permitting the two ships to join.

Canada's Aurora Borealis will be visible from Atlantis. Two dots amid Canada's Great Lakes denote Sarnia and Milton, the birthplace and hometown, respectively, of Major Hadfield. A representation of his Canadian Air Force wings, superimposed on the scene, shows Major Hadfield's pride in his military heritage.

The four stars symbolize the fourth Canadian to fly in space, and the number of finalists in Major Hadfield's Canadian Astronaut class of '92. As well, the stars are depicted as circular dots, similar to the targets that will be used by the Advanced Space Vision System, a kind of "robot eye" which Canada is providing on this flight.

In the circumference, are the names Mir (in Cyrillic, Russian alphabet, to honour the cosmonauts who have spent collectively nearly nine years in space) and Atlantis. Between them is a Canadian flag, demonstrating a Canadian "bridge" between the two great space powers of the world.