Symbols matter. They are a form of visual communication which can convey a great deal of information, explain a purpose, and serve as a historical record for an event. At least, that is a good way to describe a mission patch. The GRC team has been planning a space analog mission for several months. Of the many details, logistics, operational plans which must be accounted for, one of those details is the mission patch.
As a standard for actual space missions and analog missions alike, the mission patch serves as a visual representation of the people and objectives of the mission ahead, and a reminder of those accomplishments after the fact. No two mission patches are alike, and there are no set standards for what a mission patch should contain, or what it should look like. Yet over the years, mission patches generally have come to contain many common elements, including: the last names of the crew, nationalities, key mission objectives, and also colors and iconography which have some meaning to the crew or mission.
For the upcoming 2025 analog at ILMAH, there were some clear elements we wanted to incorporate into the mission patch, namely the crew last names, the four-person EVA, and biomonitoring sensor network.
The next step was to add some color. As simple as that may seem, this was particularly challenging. Not only does the symbology matter, but the colors used had to be appropriate not only in terms of meaning, but also to consider how it will all look when stitched together. We decided on a blue background for the names to symbolize Earth, black background for space, and an orange ring to represent the glow of light visible at the Shackelton Rim, which was our analog location on the moon.
Additional elements were added to represent the ILMAH habitat, and an image of the moon. US and Canadian flags were added to represent the crew nationalities, a gold star of excellence was included, as well as seven stars to represent the seven continents of the Earth. The final element was the text, “GRC-01” to represent the first analog expedition of Gravitas Research Corps.
That explains the mission patch, but there is one more symbol to bring up, and that is the logo for Gravitas Research Corps. We wanted this symbol to be much simpler than the mission patch, such that it could be drawn by hand, yet also contain meaningful elements. As with the mission patch, we included a star of excellence in the top-left of the logo. The four stars represent the four founding members of GRC. The center orb with rings represents extraterrestrial exploration, and at the “core” of the planet is a recognizable atomic symbol, representing science. All of this is contained by a unifying shield, representing unity and a common pursuit. The final product, due to its simple design, can be rendered in multiple colors, depending on the need.
So, why go to such lengths for some images? We put as much thought and purpose into our logos as we do our research, and also because symbols matter.