The official insignia of the STS-55 mission displays the Space Shuttle Columbia over an Earth-sky background. Depicted beneath the orbiter are the American and German flags flying together, representing the partnership of this laboratory mission. The two blue stars in the border bearing the crewmembers' names signify each of the backup (alternate) payload specialists -- Gerhard Thiele and Renate Brummer. The stars in the sky stand for each of the children of the crewmembers in symbolic representation of the space program's legacy to future generations. The rainbow symbolizes the hope for a brighter tomorrow because of the knowledge and technologies gained from this mission's multifaceted experiments. Each crewmember contributed to the design of the insignia.