Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1196709
A mission patch was designed for each of the one hundred thirty-fi ve shuttle missions, so I had a lot of images to steal from…er, be inspired by. I ended up designing more than a doen fi ctional mission patches, which was enough to cover the fi lming crew from producers down to PAs. Patches were also needed for the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (where astronauts train underwater), the International Space Station, and miscellaneous patches such as the ach patch for astronauts who have own on the shuttle. Oh, and apparently there was an astronaut bowling league as well. When Natalie Portman posted a photo of herself as astronaut Lucy Cola in NASA coveralls, I was pleased to see that all the patches looked authentic…you could even see "Mandel" if you used a magnifying glass. When I sent this photo to my older brother Pete, who shares my childhood memories of the space program, his reaction was gratifying: Is this the new NASA logo? About time they modernized it. Of course, this was only half the battle…I would also need to create astronaut IDs, o cial portrait photos, building signage, press kits and shuttle operations manuals for the fi lm's fi ctionalied versions of the space shuttle, ISS and various training facilities in ouston. I kept these fi ctional versions as close to the real thing as possible, just substituting the fi lm's shuttle names and mission patches. A brief mention of adult diapers showed up now and then in various drafts of the script, so I came up with a fake diaper brand and packaging (the name that cleared was Believe…that's a B, not an R). The director ultimately decided that diapers would be a distraction from the story being told, and as Natalie Portman has mentioned in several subsequent interviews, diapers are no big deal for astronauts, even earthbound ones. If I'm being honest with myself, I'll probably never make it to space…it would be hard to justify the cost of fuel to launch a graphic designer into orbit. I can console myself with the fact that my name has now appeared on a NASA mission patch…not to mention on Natalie Portman's shoulder. Mission accomplished. ADG D. SHUTTLE MISSION PATCH. E. EVENT APPAREL'S VERY FAITHFUL EMBROIDERED VERSION OF THE PATCH. F. ADULT DIAPER PACKAGE ARTWORK. G. NATALIE PORTMAN AS LUCY IN HER ASTRONAUT PUBLICITY PHOTO. NEEDED BEFORE THERE WAS CHANCE TO PHOTOGRAPH PORTMAN IN HER SPACESUIT, I USED VARIOUS ISTOCK IMAGES AND ELEMENTS OF ACTUAL NASA PUBLICITY PORTRAITS TO CREATE A PHOTOSHOP COMPOSITE. F G E D