STS-122 patch, 2008

ESA astronauts Léopold Eyharts (FR) and Hans Schlegel (DE) flew on Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-122 to the ISS, in February 2008. STS-122 was ISS Assembly Flight 1E, which delivered the European Columbus laboratory to the ISS, along with the Biolab, Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL), European Drawer Rack (EDR) and European Physiology Modules (EPM) payloads. STS-122 also carried the Solar Monitoring Observatory (SOLAR) and the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF). The two ESA astronauts were accompanied by Stephen Frick, Alan Poindexter, Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim and Stanley Love.

Schlegel spent 12 days in space, but Eyharts replaced Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Daniel Tani, returning over a month later on STS-123 in March 2008.

The STS-122 patch was designed by astronaut Rex Walheim's wife, Margie. It depicts the continuation of the voyages of the early explorers to today's frontier, space. The ship denotes the travels of the early expeditions from the east to the west. Just over 500 years after Columbus sailed to the New World, the STS-122 crew took the European laboratory 'Columbus' to the ISS to usher in a new era of scientific discovery.