Skylab 3 Commemorative Mission Patch

Skylab 3 Commemorative Mission Patch

A-B Emblem produced this Skylab 3 patch, based on the design by Barbara Matelski from the Johnson Space Center Graphics Department. Matelski worked up a concept that Skylab astronauts Gerald Carr, Bill Pogue, and Ed Gibson had come up with themselves.

The patch shows a tree, a hydrogen atom, and a human surrounded by a rainbow and a number three. It is one of the more complicated patches in terms of the story that the astronauts were trying to depict. The tree represents the natural environment and refers to the mission's objective to advance the study of Earth's resources. The hydrogen atom represents the Sun - made mostly of hydrogen - which was a key focus of the Skylab missions. The hydrogen atom also represents being the building block of the universe and how humans have explored the physical world and developed technology. The human figure represents humanity and its ability to use technology with a wisdom built from a concern for the natural environment. It also represents the medical experiments the mission would undertake. Finally, the rainbow is used to represent the Biblical story of the Flood and the rainbow that appears to Noah afterwards. The rainbow connects to the tree and the hydrogen atom to show human's pivotal role in bringing together technology and nature through our use of scientific knowledge.

Although Skylab 3 was the third crewed Skylab mission, its official designation was Skylab 4 - as the official Skylab 1 mission was an uncrewed launch of the Skylab space station. To avoid confusion, the patch designs for the crewed missions became Skylab 1, 2, and 3.