Soyuz TMA-17M is a 2015 flight to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 44 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-17M is the 126th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft; the first having occurred in 1967. The crew consists of a Russian commander accompanied by Japanese and American astronauts. The capsule is to remain docked to the space station for about five months until the scheduled departure of Expedition 45 in December 2015.
The Soyuz TMA-17M patch is inspired on the design of the Apollo 17 patch. The main element in this logo is a portrait of Sergei Korolev, the legendary 'main constructor', who shaped the early years of Soviet cosmonautics. He is depicted watching the Soyuz spacecraft on its celestial voyage, trailing three red lines. They symbolize the three crewmembers, but also represent the three manned craft that Korolev developed; Vostok, Voskhod and Soyuz. Behind the earth, a red sun rises. After the American Apollo element and the Russian Korolev item, the sun is Japan's element in this design. The constellation of Scorpio tops off the patch, with the star Antares highlighted, as this is the callsign for this particular Soyuz mission to the International Space Station.
