Space Station Expedition 66 Embroidered Mission Patch
The Expedition 66 patch celebrates the continued utilization of the International Space Station as a path for human and scientific space exploration.
Its shape reflects the Route 66 highway sign, which once guided an earlier expansion into distant, remote lands. The arc of the Earth's atmosphere is reminiscent of the well-known stop-motion photos taken by astronauts and cosmonauts of the Earth in eclipse.
Two future destinations are depicted, the Moon resting inside one of the numerals, and Mars to the right. A multicolored bridge containing the colors of each of this mission's international partner's flags (Russia, Germany, France, Japan, and the United States) draws the viewer from the perimeter of the patch into the numeral 66 just as the space station bridges the gap from low-Earth orbit to these distant exploration destinations.