Summary

STS-32 PATCH - The STS-32 patch, designed by the five crewmembers for the January, 1990 space mission, depicts the Space Shuttle orbiter rendezvousing with the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite from above and the Syncom satellite successfully deployed and on its way to geosynchronous orbit. Five stars represent the mission number with three on one side of the orbiter and two on the other. The seven major rays of the sun are in remembrance of the crewmembers for STS 51-L. In preparation for the first Extended Duration Orbiter (EDO) missions, STS-32 conducted a number of medical and middeck scientific experiments. The caduceus on the left represents the medical experiments, and the crystalline structure on the right represents the materials science. The crew is comprised of Astronauts Daniel C. Brandenstein, James D. Wetherbee, Bonnie Dunbar, Marsha S. Ivins, and G. David Low.

The NASA insignia design for Shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced.

source: https://nix.larc.nasa.gov/info;jsessionid=1b1fqweoq19o0?id=MSFC-8914164&orgid=11

This image or video was catalogued by Marshall Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: MSFC-8914164 AND Alternate ID: STS032(S)001. This tag does not indicate the copyright status or the source of the attached work. A normal copyright tag and a source are still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.

Licensing

This image shows a flag, a coat of arms, a seal or some other official insignia. The use of such symbols is restricted in many countries. These restrictions are independent of the copyright status. This tag does not indicate the copyright status or the source of the attached work. A normal copyright tag and a source are still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.

	This Logo image could be recreated using vector graphics as an SVG file. This has several advantages; see Commons:Media for cleanup for more information. If an SVG form of this image is already available, please upload it. After uploading an SVG, replace this template with {{vector version available|new image name.svg}}.

Photo's description:

By 1960, Hughes, RCA and AT&T were urging NASA to develop a different type of communications satellite. Hughes believed that geosynchronous satellites, which orbit Earth 22,300 miles (35,900 km) above the ground, offered the best location because the high orbit allowed the satellites' orbital speed to match the rotation speed of Earth and therefore remain essentially stable over the same spot. With the Defense Department's active support, NASA offered Hughes a sole-source contract to develop an experimental geosynchronous satellite, which it called Syncom. Only 17 months after Goddard Space Flight Center awarded the contract, NASA launched Syncom I, but it stopped sending signals a few seconds before it reached its final orbit. Five months later, NASA then launched Syncom II, which demonstrated the viability of the system. The third Syncom transmitted live coverage of the Olympic games in Tokyo to stations in North America and Europe.