When you earn an advanced degree in math or physics or engineering, log at least a thousand flight hours, and then you agree to float around in a tiny closet for a year, NASA lets you wear whatever you want in your crew portrait. Since about the 16th mission, NASA has been putting together themed posters for the flight crews.
Astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko have agreed to spend 12 months aboard the International Space Station and are launching out of Kazakhstan next month. In June, another Russian, a NASA flight surgeon, and an engineer from the Japanese space program will be joining Kelly and Korniyenko. In September, one more Russian goes up and that’s your team for Expedition 45 at the ISS.
At some point, someone apparently took a look at the crew logo for the mission and decided it looked like an Imperial star destroyer. I guess things just spiraled out of control from there.
The little book at the bottom of 45’s patch represents “The Book of Knowledge.” And according to NASA:
Curves radiate from the book representing the flow of knowledge – and the hard work, sacrifice and innovation that makes human spaceflight possible.
Okay, so maybe they’re all just big Star Wars fans. They’ve earned the right to do whatever they want. I can’t imagine dealing with farts in space. Imagine a year’s worth of it.
They also seem to not have agreed on lightsaber choices, and/or went the Mace Windu “Please Let Me Stand Out in This Sausage Fest Crowd” route. I’m impressed they had enough Jedi robes laying around to make this poster. Or everyone’s the same size and they only had one costume. Either way, please tell Kjell N. Lindgren to call me.
source: The Verge