STS-41B Mission Patch

STS-41B Mission Patch

This mission patch was designed for the Space Shuttle mission STS-41B by the space artist Robert McCall, whilst working with the crew of Vance Brand, Robert Gibson, Bruce McCandless, Robert Stewart, and Ronald McNair to finalise the design.

The patch depicts the Space Shuttle Challenger flanked by two images relating to the mission. On the left is a picture is a satellite being deployed, whilst on the right is an astronaut using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU). This was the first flight for the MMU, with astronauts McCandless and Stewart testing the new device, which allowed them to go outside the spacecraft and float completely untethered from the Space Shuttle. The MMU used nitrogen as a propellant, allowing its users to manoeuvre in space with its 24 thrusters placed strategically around the unit. During the mission McCandless was photographed using the MMU, in what has gone on to become one of the most famous images in spaceflight history.

This particular patch was part of a collection of patches acquired by British-born professor of endocrine and metabolic surgery Anthony Goode, during his years working with NASA’s Life Sciences Division.