The official Mission Patch for STS-135, the last flight of the Atlantis Space Shuttle. It is important to note that Atlantis carried the SSEP 2 Intrepid payload of experiments. The STS-135 patch represents the space shuttle Atlantis embarking on its mission to resupply the International Space Station. Atlantis is centered over elements of the NASA emblem depicting how the space shuttle has been at the heart of NASA for the last 30 years. It also pays tribute to the entire NASA and contractor team that made possible all the incredible accomplishments of the space shuttle. Omega, the last letter in the Greek alphabet, recognizes this mission as the last flight of the Space Shuttle Program.
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education, are proud to present the 33 Mission Patches selected for flight to the International Space Station (ISS) for Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 19 to ISS. The selected flight patches shown below resulted from local art and design competitions meant to capture the spirit of SSEP in each Mission 19 community.
The mission patch competitions foster community-wide awareness and engagement in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program – an initiative that takes students, teachers, and the community at large to the space frontier through immersion in an authentic research experience. The 21 selected Mission 19 microgravity flight experiments from student teams, representing the 20 communities participating in Mission 19, comprise the SSEP Atlantis experiments payload, named after NASA’s Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis.
As a historical note, mission patches have been part of human spaceflight since the days of Project Mercury in the 1960s (see, e.g., this page at the NASA History Program Office). The SSEP Mission Patch competitions therefore allow communities to engage in another authentic aspect of the space program. From an education standpoint, the mission patch component of SSEP forges interdisciplinary connections between STEM fields and art and design, so that SSEP is a true STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) initiative.
Across 19 of 20 Mission 19 to ISS communities conducting Mission Patch art and design competitions, XX grade K-16 students were engaged, and XX patch designs were submitted. Judges within the communities selected the 33 patches shown below.
You can also read more about the Mission 19 to ISS Patch Competition at the main SSEP website.
Quickly Scroll to Individual Communities
- São Paulo, Brazil / Lisbon and Porto, Portugal
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- Ukraine
- Mesa, Arizona
- Colusa, California
- Glendora, California
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Hillsborough County, Florida
- Albany, New York
- Long Beach, New York
- Athens, Ohio
- Pickerington, Ohio
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – CCAC (currently not participating)
- Plano, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- Texarkana, Texas
- Waxahachie, Texas
- iForward-Grantsburg, Wisconsin
1. São Paulo, Brazil / Lisbon and Porto, Portugal
Jump to the São Paulo, Brazil / Lisbon and Porto, Portugal Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Competition overview coming soon.
2. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Jump to the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Edmonton Public Schools’ SSEP Mission Patch Competition was open to all division students in kindergarten to grade nine. There were two competitions: kindergarten to grade four and grades five to nine. 219 grade K-4 students participated and submitted patch designs and 310 grade 5-9 students participated and submitted patch designs. The patches were judged by panels of students, staff, and family members. Twelve schools submitted patches to the Division level competition. Two patches were selected to represent the community alongside the winning experiment. The patches selected to represent Edmonton Public Schools were created by Brendan Whelan (a Grade 4 student at Laurier Heights School) and Ehsan Jutt (a grade 5 student at Soraya Hafez School). Congratulations to all students that participated!
3. Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Jump to the Guelph, Ontario, Canada Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
The Upper Grand District School Board is thrilled to share our patch crafted by our talented students for the competition. About 200 students from grades 5-8 joined in, infusing their creativity into designs that truly express our love for space exploration. Out of the 23 submissions, our selected patches not only mirror our board’s values but also radiate an infectious passion for exploring the cosmos. What makes them extra special is that they include symbols representing each participating school in the SSEP program, creating a sense of togetherness. This recap aligns with our Mission Patch Plan, highlighting the diverse engagement across different grades and schools. Through these patches, we’re dedicated to sparking curiosity and interest in space science among our students.
4. Ukraine
Jump to the Ukraine Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
In the grades 1-4 category (74 students submitting 72 designs) the members of the winning team are Artem Shapran and Artem Pavliuk from Scientific Lyceum of Municipal Institution of Higher Education Khortytsia National Educational and Rehabilitational Academy. The name of their design is “Ukraine to the Stars”. The patch is a circle sign with space and Ukraine on it that symbolizes the Ukraine’s aspiration to the technological progress and space exploration, preservation of cultural and national values. In the grades 5-11 category (93 students submitting 84 designs) the members of the winning team are Sophiia Kislova and Anastasiia Kislova from Kryvyi Rih Lyceum № 129. The patch symbolizes achievements in space exploration, science and technological progress with Earth, where is all began, in the background.
5. Mesa, Arizona
Jump to the Mesa, Arizona Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Over 600 grade 4-12 students from 7 different schools participated in the Mission Patch competition, creating approximately 150 mission patch designs. Designs originated in the elementary and junior high schools as a writing project about symbolism and mission patches. The basic ideas were designed by elementary and junior high students based on the SSEP M19 3 finalist experiments. Then, the top ten designs were determined and High School Graphic Design students took over using the writing and basic designs to create an industry ready product. From there the top 3 were determined and voted on by over 1000 Honeywell employees to selected the winning mission patch for M19!
6. Colusa, California
Jump to the Colusa, California Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
252 design submissions were received from James M. Burchfield School (K-3) and George T. Egling Middle School (4-8) for the Mission 19 Colusa Unified Patch Competition. One patch was selected from each site. 18 students from the Colusa High School ChemClub implemented the contest through afterschool science lessons at each site. Victoria Perez, from James M. Burchfield School, and Joel Arenas, from George T. Egling Middle School, were the artists behind the designs, that were selected by the CHS ChemClub. These designs were selected for their clarity and choice in utilizing Colusa Unified colors.
7. Glendora, California
Jump to the Glendora, California Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
The Glendora Unified Mission 19 patch contest saw strong participation from students across all grade levels. Approximately 275 students from grades 4-8 entered the coloring and patch design contests, while about 200 high school students took part in the 9-12 competition. Entries were judged by a panel of district staff, and the winning designs were showcased in a gallery at the District Office Board Room. The winners were honored by the School Board Trustees during a regular meeting, celebrating both the Mission 19 team and the patch design winners.
8. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Jump to the Colorado Springs, Colorado Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
The UCCS/PPSC SSEP Mission Patch Design Competition consisted of two age groups, K-6th grade and 7-12th grade. More than a dozen K-12 schools were invited to participate in the competition. 285 elementary students were engaged in their competition with a total of 171 patch designs submitted and 100 middle and high school students were engaged in their competition with a total of 57 patch designs submitted. Eleanor Edwards from Skyway Park Elementary won the K-6th grade competition, and Marie Wiseman from Colorado Springs Early College High School won the 7-12th grade competition.
9. Hillsborough County, Florida
Jump to the Hillsborough County, Florida Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Hillsborough County Public Schools opened the Mission 19 Patch Competition to 13,205 school students in our community, which represented 121 schools. We divided the competition – one for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students and another for Sixth through Eighth Grade students. The elementary competition engaged 1,025 students with 56 students submitting patches for judging and the middle school competition engaged 605 students with 19 students submitting patches for judging. 73 patches met the requirements for judging by a committee of teachers and community leaders. The Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Mission Patch winner is Samantha Yanez Cuervo, 5th Grade, Maniscalco K-8, Lutz, Florida. The winning patch from the Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade competition is Platon Drozdov, 7th Grade, Grayson Jones, 6th Grade, and Sharavan Karthick, 6th Grade, Randall Middle School, Lithia, FL.
11. Albany, New York
Jump to the Albany, New York Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
We engaged all 1800 of our Middle School students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 in at least starting an SSEP Mission Patch during their regular Science instruction in January. Of those, about 600 students completed a patch and another about 250 students submitted both a patch and a rationale. In late February, our 2024-25 SSEP Review Committee considered 108 of the best patches (based on completion, accuracy, and patch aesthetics) and rationales before narrowing our selection down to the winning design.
12. Long Beach, New York
Jump to the Long Beach, New York Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Long Beach Public Schools conducted two Mission Patch Design Contests for our third year participating in SSEP. The patches embody and symbolize Long Beach Public Schools’ excitement to bridge the oceans and waters of our hometown Barrier Island with the ocean of outer space. Two contests were conducted for grades 3-5 and grades 6-8. The teachers in our S.T.E.A.M. Departments across five of our District’s buildings administered the contest. There were 631 students who participated in grades 3-5, submitting 138 patch designs, and 664 students participated in grades 6-8, with 114 patches submitted. The review committee consisted of administrators, faculty, and staff across multiple departments. We are proud to select our two winning finalists submitted by Zoey Pinto (Grade 6 LBMS) and Murphy Moser (Lido Grade 4).
13. Athens, Ohio
Jump to the Athens, Ohio Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Ohio University (OU), in partnership with the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery (OVMoD), hosted a successful Mission Patch Design Competition as part of the SSEP. More than 300 K-8 students from 16 schools across 11 cities submitted over 200 space-inspired patch designs. The competition was divided into two categories: grades K-4 and 5-8, with contributions from teachers in Athens and surrounding counties. A total of 197 K-4 students submitted 132 designs, while 139 students in grades 5-8 submitted 74 patches. A community open house at OVMoD welcomed 234 attendees, where students engaged with OU SSEP researchers and participated in patch design activities. Finalists were selected with help from Teen Science Café members, and OVMoD board members chose the winners. The event fostered excitement for space exploration and strengthened connections between OU, OVMoD, and local schools.
14. Pickerington, Ohio
Jump to the Pickerington, Ohio Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Pickerington Local School District is proud to showcase the winning designs from the SSEP Mission 19 Patch Design Contest! At the elementary level (grades 3-6), 315 participants submitted 190 patches, and at the secondary level (grades 7-12), 120 participants submitted 50 patches. We appreciate the creativity of all participants. The secondary winner, Emma Arcelay Seda, a junior at Pickerington High School Central, designed an astronaut helmet reflecting a satellite and moon, capturing the vastness of space. The elementary winner, Cora Kurtz, a 4th grader from Sycamore Creek Elementary, illustrated a lunar landing featuring an astronaut and the bacterial soap from Pickerington’s winning Mission 19 experiment. These outstanding designs will travel alongside Mission 19, representing our district on an incredible journey beyond Earth. Congratulations to our winners and all participants for their stellar contributions!
15. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – CCAC
Jump to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – CCAC Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
currently not flying patches
16. Plano, Texas
Jump to the Plano, Texas Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
With this contest, we focused on two groups. One contest targeted submissions from K-5 students and the second contest focused on students in grades 6-12. Our goal was to have at least 100 submissions from each contest group. However, all students connected to the Art program were invited to participate. We had 750 entries from Elementary students (Grades K-5) and 250 from Secondary students (Grades 6-12). The deadline for submission for judging was February 7, 2025. Submissions were narrowed down to 5 top patches for each category. Then a jury of 17 district staff members reviewed the top 10 to select the top elementary and top secondary patch designs.
17. Texarkana, Texas
Jump to the Texarkana, Texas Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
The Texarkana Independent School District held an elementary school patch competition involving our K-5 campuses and a secondary patch competition involving our middle and high school which engaged approximately 3000 students in the district. There were 960 mission patches submitted at our elementary level competition. At the secondary school level, there were 840 mission patches submitted. Each mission patch was created by an individual student. Our Elementary Patch winner was 5th grade student, Logan Dennis from Spring Lake Park campus. Our Secondary Patch winner was Freshman, Chapel Telg from Texas High School.
18. Waxahachie, Texas
Jump to the Waxahachie, Texas Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
Waxahachie ISD launched two mission patch design competitions as part of the Mission 19 Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). There were 4,985 elementary students (pre-K through 5th grade) and 1,817 secondary students (6th through 12th grade) formerly engaged in the contest through the art classes at each campus with each student submitted a mission patch design. Art teachers submitted one winning patch from each grade level using the mission patch rubric. Within each competition category, campus-winning patches were judged at the district level, with one final elementary winner and one final secondary winner selected to fly alongside the WISD Student Spaceflight Experiment to the International Space Station (ISS). We are honored to have the following patches represent Waxahachie proudly for the Mission 19 Student Spaceflight Experiments Program winning experiment: PreK-5th grade – Helen Rincon, 5th Grade, Shackelford Elementary and 6th-12th grade – Yaretzy Caltzontzin, 9th Grade, Waxahachie High School.
19. iForward-Grantsburg, Wisconsin
Jump to the iForward-Grantsburg, Wisconsin Community Profile
Jump to the Selected Flight Experiment on Mission 19 to ISS
Click to Zoom
Click to Zoom
iForward Wisconsin Online Charter School conducted a two-mission patch competition for SSEP Mission 19 to the International Space Station; our eighth consecutive year taking part in this powerful learning opportunity connecting young scientists and artists from across the world. Our virtual online charter school educates over 1,100 students, grades K-12, from across the beautiful state of Wisconsin. The Mission 19 Patch Project engaged 415 online students at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Students met the goal for the two-patch competition with 215 students in grades 8-12 and 200 students in grades K-7 participating. A total of 415 possible designs were submitted to the initial review committee vying for the trip aboard the International Space Station. Our winning participants, ninth-grader Baela LaValle and fifth-grader Randi Doerr, met a proficient level of learning goals for science, technology, engineering, art/design, and math through their original creations. The designs were selected to represent the iForward online community on Mission 19.