STS-9, Spacelab-1 payload patch, 1983

Ulf Merbold was the first ESA astronaut to fly in space, and the first non-US citizen to fly on a Space Shuttle, as part of the crew of the STS-9 Spacelab 1 mission on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1983.

At 10 days, it was the longest duration Shuttle flight to date, and with a 6-member crew (Merbold with John Young, Brewster Shaw, Owen Garriott, Robert Parker and Byron Lichtenberg) this was another spaceflight record at the time.

This patch design (S82-31408, May 1983) was worn by the science crew members and is a symbolic representation of the scientific objectives of the mission, listed in the purple border. The two agencies, ESA and NASA, are represented in the trailing orbit following the Orbiter, with Spacelab seen inside the cargo bay. A red orbit emanates from the United States and a blue orbit from Europe, which merge to form 'purple', hence the border colour.