Crew-13 Astronauts Embrace New Patch Design, Defying Superstition

For the first time since Apollo 13 famously declared “Houston, we’ve had a problem” en route to the Moon 56 years ago, NASA has assigned a crew to a mission bearing the number 13. The agency announced that NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov will launch to the International Space Station as Crew-13 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in mid-September. They will join Expeditions 75 and 76, spending roughly five months in orbit before returning to Earth.

“This flight is the 13th crew rotation with SpaceX,” NASA stated in its announcement. “The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future exploration missions to the moon and Mars, and benefit people on Earth.”

The mission patch, designed by the crew, embraces the number rather than shying away from it. It features a stylized “13” alongside imagery inspired by the Apollo 13 mission, including the iconic phrase “Ex Luna, Scientia” (From the Moon, Knowledge), a nod to the lessons learned from that harrowing flight. The patch also incorporates the SpaceX Dragon capsule and the International Space Station, symbolizing the continuity of human spaceflight.

By choosing to highlight the number 13 in their patch design, the Crew-13 astronauts are actively defying the superstition that has long surrounded the digit in aerospace. The decision reflects a confident, forward-looking attitude, turning a potential source of unease into a celebration of resilience and progress. As Watkins noted in a statement, “We’re proud to carry the legacy of Apollo 13 forward, showing how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned.”