The Starseeker Flight, the eighth Celestis Earth Rise service mission, was launched from Spaceport America, New Mexico on September 17, 2018. Each flight capsule - containing a symbolic portion of cremated remains or a DNA sample - experienced the elegant dance of weightlessness, and returned to Earth for recovery.
Every Celestis mission has its own logo, mission patch and lapel pin following the tradition of creating a unique identity for each launch dating to the earliest days of the American space program. The Starseeker Flight mission logo places a single large star amidst a field of fourteen smaller stars. The dominant star is a version of the traditional NASA astronaut logo – a shooting star borne on a winged column – signifying that all those aboard reached space and, symbolically, became astronauts as they made their final journey among the stars. The smaller star field depicts all fourteen Celestis Memorial Spaceflights conducted to date – an unmatched flight heritage. The artwork is by reknown designer Eric R. Gignac.
This is a Cloisonne lapel pin of exceptional quality. This type of lapel pin takes two bronze die-cut molds, one of the outline of the pin and a second of any cutouts, to create a product rich in style and detail. Each color is individually hand-filled with a powdered, glass-like substance and fired at 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. This process helps the colors to hold fast and prevents them from bleeding or smudging. Size: 1.25 inches, secured with a butterfly/military clutch.
