If you have ever seen an astronaut’s blue flight suit (like the one Paul Richards wears in the video) you’ve probably noticed the many patches on it. Depending on where the astronaut is from, he or she will either wear the logo of NASA, the ESA, or Roscosmos on the right breast. The national flag of the astronaut’s home country goes on the left shoulder. On the astronaut’s left breast is a patch with his or her name, sometimes accompanied by a patch telling how many days that astronaut has been in space.

On the front of the suit on either side are the astronaut’s mission patches. For every space flight, the astronaut crew designs its own official mission patch. The patch design includes the mission number, the vehicle they travel in, and names of the crew. There are also unique visual elements on each patch that relate to different tasks the crewmembers will perform, or something that makes their mission different from others. Some even have initials and other hidden secrets - can you find the patch with another patch inside it (hint: the mission number begins with a 7)?

As a family, look through the patches that have been used on previous space missions to the right, or check out the websites listed in the “Resources” section. Find some that are interesting to you. Find some that are visually striking. Do any inspire you?