Payload Ops 74

Increment 74

The Payload Operations Increment 74 patch draws on influence from the past, harkening to the Foundations of Mission Operations and POD Values. The numbers 7 and 4 are utilized in geometric layers with a heptagon as the base and a square at the forefront. The sides of the heptagon are representative of the qualities within the Foundations of Mission Operations; Discipline, Competence, Confidence, Responsibility, Toughness, Teamwork and Vigilance. In the background are the four solar arrays of Skylab, the United States’ first semi-permanent orbital space station, whose fourth and final mission concluded in 1974 and laid the groundwork for much of science operations in Lower Earth Orbit today. Marshall Space Flight Center played an integral role in the Skylab mission, providing hardware development, system integration, and experiment development and support. In the foreground is the square, whose four sides are representative of the POD values of Engagement, Steadfastness, Ownership, and Grit. Within the square we see today’s International Space Station payload operations reflected with the ISS in orbit around the Earth. The curvilinear flourish that passes through the ISS and beyond is representative of the evolution of science operations in space and the forward projection of this evolution as we take lessons from the past and today and apply them to future endeavors. These elements converge at the top of the design in the compass rose, signifying the continued direction informed from past, present, and future missions.

Approximately  4"