The national reconnaissance office nro is a member of the united states intelligence community and an agency of the united states department of defense. These are the best mission logos the nro has used to publicly flaunt its. How would you design your patch if you were headed to space. If you look closely at the contour of the black face, youll see another face, with pointy nose and pointy ears, looking left. On september 23, an atlas v out of vandenburg air force base carried the classified nrol42 into orbit for the national reconnaissance office. Loren grush, writing about national reconnaissance offices mission patches for various rocket launches to put secret things into orbit. Space shuttle mission patches nasa history division. The creepy, kitschy and geeky patches of us spy satellite launches there may be method to the madness behind the outlandish designs of. What does space travel have to do with psychological warfare. The national rifle association is americas longeststanding civil rights organization. The flight symbol represents a satellite in earth orbit and signifies the units functions of telemetry, tracking, and command of satellites. Still more than wet behind my ears as i enjoy the news, opinion and banter of a greater level of space news than ever before l2 checks in the mail, chris, ive learned to watch for the live threads for any launch now, not just the usual commercial and iss fare.
For example, nasa astronaut randy komrade bresnik wears the expedition 52 and 53 mission patches. The meaning of mission patches national air and space museum. Patches created for shuttle missions to mir usually display an excellent mix of american and russian heroic tropes. Decoding hidden messages in those geeky spy satellite mission. The two hour launch window opens on sunday, april 30, at 7. Steve garber, nasa history web curator for further. Many of the patches for nro missions sell for more than im asking for these mugs and the mugs are much harder to find, especially for a mission. Decoding hidden messages in those geeky spy satellite. Those missions are generally classified, so that their exact purposes and orbital elements are not published. Hints from the mission patches issued for nro flights can also help identify the nature of the payload, but after the nrol39 patch caused a public upset, the.
However, amateur astronomers have managed to observe most of the satellites, and leaked information has led to the identification of many of the payloads. Mar 27, 2016 since then, other organizations involved in space travel and secret operations began using mission patches, including those that specialize in psyops psychological warfare. They are avatars depicted on the official mission patches made for the. United launch alliance, a union of atlas and delta rockets formed a decade ago for. Patches for classified missions can sometimes provide. They oversee the conduct of safe, reliable and timely launch operations to support department of defense, national and commercial customers. The nro would never confirm that titan 4 b28 and k18, or b25 and b36, carried similar payloads, let alone comment on the type of payload they carried, yet there are all kinds of hints in their respective mission patches. Shop spacex nrol 76 mission patch online from the space. Since 1971, all nasa mission patches have been made by ab emblem, a company located in north carolina that also produces patches for the military, the boy scouts and the girl scouts. Nro launched a satellite into space whose official mission patch featured a symbol. Spacex is targeting launch of nrol76 from historic launch complex 39a at nasas kennedy space center in florida.
The patch may reference the purpose of the mission, including elements like a beaker to represent scientific research. Nros gambit1 goes home to rochester visitors to the rochester museum and science center rmsc in rochester, new york, can now view a piece of nro and rochester history the optical system of nros gambit1 kh7 satellite is now on longterm loan to rmscs strasenburgh planetarium. Nasa started using patches in the 1960s to identify each space mission. The agency was formed in the 1960s dragon is a code name within the byeman information compartment for the infrared imaging capabilities on crystal advanced kh11 reconnaissance satellites. Illuminati mission patches nro mission patches illuminati nwo patches the illuminati and w. The patch shows the latin words defendi nostrae opes to defend our resourceswealth and eight distinctly shaped stars on the sides of the patch which have appeared on five of the previous seven sds launches although stars appear to be a common theme on nro mission patches. If you would like to see photographs of the mugs please let me.
This tradition is also observed in the shady world of psyops where each secret mission of the pentagon gets its patch. Together with our more than five million members, were proud defenders of history s patriots and diligent protectors of the second amendment. National reconnaissance office nro mission patches, note. The meaning of mission patches national air and space. Ab emblems was where gordon cooper went to produce the first 100 nasa mission patches for gemini 5. The terrifying mission patch for todays spy satellite is part of a long. Us nrol39 collector octopus space spy satellite mission patch nothing is beyond. The nro has hidden information about their satellites in mission patches before, so some have suggested that the locations of the trio of satellites can be gleaned from the locations on the globe. While mission patches were initially an informal creation by the crew, they quickly became formalized, and were widelyused to symbolize each flight. The spectral figure embodies the ever watchful efforts of the unit personnel in the performance of their duties. The official website of the national reconnaissance office.
Final ula mission of 2014, nrol35, scheduled for liftoff on. Dec 09, 2014 the creepy, kitschy and geeky patches of us spy satellite launches there may be method to the madness behind the outlandish designs of the national reconnaissance office mission patches. Leading conservative magazine and website covering news, politics, current events, and culture with detailed analysis and commentary. History of military patches and insignia the military place. Nro this is definitely the letters for the national reconnaissance office 2sls i believe this refers to the 2nd space launch squadron. Discuss what a mission patch is and how it is designed. Here, we see a patch from nasa 6mir 24 mission where mir acts as the hammer of. The nro has hidden information about their satellites in mission patches. Pentagon psyops and nro patches get the award for creating the most sinister and creepy patches. It has become popular for those who follow spaceflight to scrutinize nro mission patches in search of clues to their classified purposes. Nov 07, 2017 the remaining three are joined by another crew of astronauts, forming a new expedition and requiring a second patch. Nro patch of this mission features a creepy figure in a creepy hood looking over the earth with creepy eyes, staring creepily at the american continent. Slightly disappointed in this one, but i suppose it could be worse. Mission patch uncovers classified satellites collectspace.
Iconic elements like bald eagles or other symbols of the united states are common on nasa. Apr 10, 2012 since then, other organizations involved in space travel and secret operations began using mission patches, including those that specialize in psyops psychological warfare. Inevitably, space enthusiasts started collecting mission patches and, just as inevitably, entrepreneurs saw this trend as an opportunity to make money. Obviously, they wont tell us much about the payload, but the mission patch and the launch site both suggest a polar orbiting spacecraft. The patch is also worn by all other personnel working on the crews mission. It follows the nrol41 mission, or usa215, launched in september 2010, and nrol25 usa234 which was launched by a delta iv in april 2012. However, amateur astronomers have managed to observe most of the. Wonder if the patch has any relation with the payload. See the stem in 30 teams mission patch, then try making your own.
Molczan has been following the nros launches since the first lacrosse satellite was allegedly launched aboard the space shuttle in 1988. Shop spacex nrol 76 mission patch online from the space store. Since then, other organizations involved in space travel and secret operations began using mission patches, including those that specialize in psyops psychological warfare. The radar imaging program is believed to be a remnant of the nros future imagery architecture fia program, which was intended. Of the ten classified shuttle missions conducted at the height of the program. The creepy, kitschy and geeky patches of us spy satellite launches. This program patch from the national reconnaissance office, the united states black space agency whose existence was a secret until the early 1990s. Mug is black with gold trim and has the mission logo nrol22 on one side and the nro organization logo on the other side.
The nro didnt provide a lot of details about this mission, dubbed nrol37. Today nro launches about four to six satellites per year, including the nrol35 mission, with the patch seen above, slated to fly this thursday. Their design team works with the crew members of every mission to create a unique patch that symbolizes that particular crew and their mission objective. Nro is considered, along with the central intelligence agency cia, national security agency nsa, defense intelligence agency dia, and national geospatialintelligence agency nga, to be one of the big five u. The creepy, kitschy and geeky patches of us spy satellite. The official mission patch for the flight figure 1 featured two.
May 8, 2017 national reconnaissance office nro mission patches, note the symbols and semiotics used, stay safe and healthy. Mercury gemini apollo skylab apollosoyuz test project space shuttle others. Satanic symbols used by american army, cia, nro as psyops. The satellite supports national security, meaning we arent privy to. Patches of the 25 nro missions, including this weeks upcoming launch, that have been entrusted to ula rockets.
People may also make inside jokes on their mission patches, as long as the content of the joke is appropriate for public consumption. Well it turns out that releasing creepy af mission patches is a longstanding tradition for the nro. Open source reporting on nro mission patches author. The history of the national reconnaissance office is a story of how opportunity. Mission our primary mission is to advance and shape the intelligence communitys understanding of the discipline, practice, and history of national reconnaissance. Pearlman, who reported on the story at the time, says that nro at first. Jan 09, 2014 nro this is definitely the letters for the national reconnaissance office 2sls i believe this refers to the 2nd space launch squadron. These patches offer a rare glimpse into the pentagons secret operations and the symbolism. Potter, who worked at the nro as an engineer and who was an advocate and supporter of the nros cub run partners in education program. Our objective is to ensure that nro leadership has the analytical framework and historical context to make effective policy and programmatic decisions.
Ive seen a lot of weird military patches, but i think that this one might take the cake. The ursa major constellation, the great bear, was selected as the design theme because it complemented cub runs mascot, the bear cub. History and studies national reconnaissance office. Nro spacecraft, launch vehicle patches collectspace. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. This unique patch is then proudly worn on the astronauts space suits and displayed on their equipment. Sep 17, 2014 national reconnaissance office nro mission patches, note the symbols and semiotics used, stay safe and healthy. Final ula mission of 2014, nrol35, scheduled for liftoff. The polestar symbolizes true north and implies the squadrons dedication to its mission. Sharetweetemailmission patches are used by military and space organizations to identify, symbolize and describe a mission s objectives and its crew. The remaining three are joined by another crew of astronauts, forming a new expedition and requiring a second patch.
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