A History of United States Astronaut Badges and Pins
Before an astronaut steps into a spacecraft, they carry a small emblem that marks years of training. After the mission, another version can show that the wearer belongs to the unique group of people who have crossed into space. That's just one example of how badges, wings, and lapel pins record different stages in an astronaut's career, which often has roots in the U.S. military as well as a trajectory within NASA. What Astronaut Badges and Pins Represent On a uniform, flight suit, or jacket, these symbols may look similar, but there are nuances that demonstrate the specific purpose of each one. Military astronaut wings and badges mark qualifications awarded by the armed services, while NASA wings are worn on flight clothing and lapel pins are intended for civilian dress. Mission patches serve a different purpose. They represent a particular crew, spacecraft, expedition, or flight rather than an astronaut's overall status. That's why the same person may wear both a mission patch and an astronaut insignia. Many of these designs share the same central device: a five-pointed star with three trailing paths passing through an ellipse. The ellipse represents orbital flight. Military branches place it over existing aviation wings, while NASA adapts it for civilian wings and lapel pins. As with custom pins, small visual details help these insignia communicate identity and status at a glance. How Astronaut Insignia Took Shape When Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom returned from America's first two manned spaceflights in 1961, the military didn't create entirely new wings for them. Instead, the authorities modified the aviation badges the two pilots had already earned, adding the star-and-orbit astronaut device at the center. The X-15 program soon brought astronaut wings to a wider group of pilots. Between 1962 and 1968, eight pilots flew the rocket-powered aircraft above the U.S. military's 50-mile space boundary. Military pilots received astronaut wings through their own branches, while NASA recognized its three civilian X-15 pilots with civilian wings in 2005. As NASA expanded beyond the original Mercury mission astronauts, the agency adopted a common insignia for later classes and programs. The symbol was later used on flight clothing and the Apollo 14 mission emblem. Military Astronaut Wings and Badges On service uniforms, many military astronaut insignia are worn as metal pins based on established aviation-wing designs. The astronaut device is centered on the badge for the wearer's role, such as pilot, flight officer, observer, flight surgeon, or aircrew member. These badges indicate a professional qualification rather than recognizing one specific achievement. Because each service controls its own designations and uniform rules, the finished insignia vary by branch. Who Qualifies for Military Astronaut Insignia? Astronaut training is only part of the process. To receive a military astronaut insignia, a serviceman must generally complete the required professional training and take part in an operational flight above 50 statute miles. The version awarded depends on the officer's branch, aviation role, and completed flight experience. Some wings also include a star, wreath, or both. These details usually indicate the grade of the wearer's aviation qualification, such as senior or command status, rather than a higher level of astronaut experience. U.S. Air Force Astronaut Insignia An Air Force astronaut keeps the wings associated with their aviation role. Pilots, combat systems officers, observers, and flight surgeons all use their established badge, with the astronaut device added at the center. Eligibility stems from an operational mission to at least 50 miles above Earth. Once approved, the qualification is recorded in an official Air Force order. The finished insignia varies with the wearer's specialty and experience. Pilot wings may be basic, senior, or command level. Other aviation specialties use the corresponding grades within their own systems. Mission specialists without another aviation rating have historically worn observer-style astronaut wings. U.S. Army Astronaut Insignia The Army approved its astronaut device on May 17, 1983. After a qualifying mission, the gold-colored device is added to the aviation badge associated with the astronaut's specialty, whether aviator, flight surgeon, or aircrew member. An astronaut who did not already hold an aviation badge may receive the appropriate one during the qualification process. For service uniforms, the insignia combines silver-colored wings with a gold astronaut device. Subdued versions are available for field uniforms. Because relatively few soldiers have joined the astronaut corps and completed space missions, the badge remains one of the Army's least commonly awarded qualifications. Selected by NASA in 1978, Robert L. Stewart became the first active-duty Army officer to travel in space when he flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-B in 1984. Naval and Coast Guard Astronaut Insignia For Navy and Marine Corps astronauts, the insignia begins with wings earned through naval aviation training. Naval Aviators retain their pilot wings, while Naval Flight Officers and astronaut specialists use the flight-officer design. After the required training and a qualifying flight above 50 statute miles, the gold astronaut device is added at the center. The Coast Guard follows a similar path through its own astronaut pilot and astronaut flight officer designations. The commandant approves the designation after the member completes the required aviation training and a qualifying spaceflight. Bruce Melnick became the first Coast Guardsman selected for NASA astronaut training and flew aboard Discovery in 1990. Daniel Burbank later became the second Coast Guard astronaut to reach space. Andre Douglas completed NASA astronaut training in 2024, but an astronaut earns flight status only after traveling to space. U.S. Space Force Astronaut Insignia The Space Force was first represented in NASA's astronaut corps soon after the service was created in December 2019, and its qualified members are known as Guardians. Michael Hopkins was the first person to become a Space Force astronaut, earning the title mid-mission: he launched as an Air Force officer and transferred to the Space Force while aboard the International Space Station in December 2020. Nick Hague was already serving as a Guardian when he launched in September 2024, making him the first Space Force member to begin a space mission as a Guardian. Col. Anil Menon followed in July 2026, launching to the space station as a NASA flight engineer. The Space Force has not introduced a separate set of Guardian astronaut wings. Space Force astronauts continue to wear Department of the Air Force insignia, including observer-style astronaut wings issued under Air Force rules. NASA Flight-Suit Badges and Insignia NASA uses different insignia for military astronauts, civilian career astronauts, and Shuttle-era payload specialists. Military members generally continue to wear service-issued wings, while civilian career astronauts use NASA insignia. During the Space Shuttle era, payload specialists also received a separate design connected to their mission role. Civilian Astronaut Wings NASA's civilian astronaut wings are embroidered for flight suits, jackets, and name tags, with the astronaut device centered between the wings. As with NASA lapel pins, silver wings indicate completed training and gold wings indicate completed spaceflight. The embroidered wings are worn on flight clothing rather than civilian dress. They should not be confused with the Silver Snoopy Award. That separate pin is presented by astronauts to NASA employees and contractors whose work has supported flight safety or mission success. Space Shuttle Payload Specialist Insignia NASA created a distinctive insignia for Space Shuttle payload specialists. In place of the usual star-and-orbit device, their badge featured the silhouette of the Shuttle orbiter. These specialists were selected for their expertise with a particular mission payload. Their work could involve a scientific experiment, commercial payload, educational project, or international program, and they were often nominated by the organization responsible for that payload. The role differed from that of a career mission specialist in NASA's astronaut corps. Payload specialists trained for a particular flight assignment and were not necessarily members of NASA's career astronaut corps. The badge was used during the Shuttle program, which ended in 2011. NASA Astronaut Lapel Pins Worn with civilian clothing, NASA's astronaut pin marks two stages in an astronaut's career. The silver pin is awarded after candidate training, when the astronaut becomes eligible for flight assignments. The gold version follows the astronaut's first trip into space. The Mercury Seven originally wore a different emblem that combined the astronomical symbol for Mercury with the number seven. As NASA added new astronaut classes and expanded into the Gemini and Apollo programs, the agency introduced the shared star-and-orbit design in 1963. A few specialty pins have also been created for unusual circumstances. One was made for Donald "Deke" Slayton, a Mercury astronaut grounded by a heart condition. The Apollo 1 crew commissioned a gold pin with a small diamond replacing the central star. After the crew died in the 1967 fire during a ground test, their widows presented the pin to Slayton. Neil Armstrong later carried the diamond pin to the Moon aboard Apollo 11. Slayton eventually earned a standard gold pin of his own after flying as the docking module pilot on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Apollo 12 carried another astronaut pin with personal significance. Alan Bean took the silver pin of Clifton "CC" Williams, who had been expected to join the mission before dying in a 1967 aircraft accident, and left it on the lunar surface. Bean also left his own silver pin there after earning the gold version through spaceflight. The FAA Commercial Astronaut Wings Program The Federal Aviation Administration created a commercial astronaut recognition program as privately operated spacecraft began carrying people above the U.S. space boundary. The Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program began in 2004, with SpaceShipOne pilots Michael Melvill and Brian Binnie becoming its first recipients after flying above 50 statute miles. The first badge resembled traditional pilot wings. In 2018, the FAA introduced a new design featuring a gold astronaut symbol inside a dark emblem marked with the words "Commercial Space Transportation." Crossing 50 statute miles did not by itself qualify someone for the wings. Under the program's final rules, recipients also had to serve as qualified flight crew and perform work related to public safety or the safety of human spaceflight on an FAA-licensed or permitted mission. The FAA retired the physical wings program after 2021 as commercial human spaceflight became more common. Thirty people received the official wings. The agency now lists people who cross 50 statute miles on qualifying FAA-authorized launches and reentries. Additional Resources NASA's Newest Astronauts Ready for Space Station, Moon, and Mars Missions FAA Commercial Human Space Flight Recognition Record-Breaking Army Astronaut Receives Rare Qualification Device Air Force Manual 11-402 Naval Astronaut Designation Coast Guard Military Qualifications and Insignia Guardian Astronaut Brings Operational Medicine Experience to ISS Mission Apollo 14 Mission Patch Space Exploration: NASA Records at the National Archives Astronaut Career Overview
