STS-56 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, crew insignia

STS056-S-001 (January 1993) --- The patch is a pictorial representation of the STS-56/ATLAS-2 mission as seen from the crew's viewpoint. The payload bay is depicted with the ATLAS-2 pallet, Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultra Violet (SSBUV) experiment, and Spartan -- the two primary scientific payloads on the flight. With ATLAS-2 serving as part of the "Mission to Planet Earth" (MTPE) project, the crew has depicted the planet prominently in the artwork. Two primary areas of study are the atmosphere and the sun. To highlight this, Earth's atmosphere is depicted as a stylized visible spectrum and the sunrise is represented with an enlarged two-colored corona. Surnames of the commander and pilot are inscribed in the Earth field, with the surnames of the mission specialists appearing in the space background. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA