Patch STS-074

This insignia commemorates Chris Hadfield's participation in Mission STS-74 in November 1995. The Sun rises as Space Shuttle Atlantis approaches the Mir Space Station, symbolic of a new era for spaceflight in Canada: Canadian astronauts living and working on Space Stations. The Canadarm is depicted in a crucial phase of the mission, when Hadfield attached a Docking Module to aport in the payload bay of the Station, permitting the two ships to join.

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

The four stars represent the fourth Canadian to fly in space, and the number of finalists in 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 (SVS), a kind of ""robot eye"" that Canada is providing on this flight.

Along the circumference are the names Mir (in Cyrillic--the 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.