Space Artist and Mission Patch Designer
Tim Gagnon was born and raised in East Hartford, Connecticut. A fascination with space exploration came early as did an interest in art.
In 2004 a dream finally came true when astronaut John Phillips selected Tim to design the emblem for the Expedition 11 mission to the International Space Station. This was followed by a request from mission Commander Pam Melroy for Tim to submit draft designs for the STS-120 patch. The competition was strong and he placed second. Tim was selected by astronaut Eric Boe to design the STS-126 mission emblem. Knowing how much it meant to participate, Tim invited his pen pal Dr. Jorge Cartes of Madrid Spain to join him on this project. The STS-126 crew were so happy with the result that they recommended Tim and Jorge to the STS-127 crew. As each patch was completed, Tim and Jorge were recommended to more flight crews. Since 2008 they teamed up to work with the astronauts of: STS-129, STS-132, STS-133 and STS-135. Though for the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program it was only a collaboration as the idea to include the NASA vector was adopted by the crew. The end of the Space Shuttle Program did not slow down demand. Tim and Jorge were proud to work with the follwoing crews serving aboard the International Space Station: Expeditions 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 34, One Year, 47 and 48.
In 2007 to raise funds for the Apollo Program Monument the Space Walk of Fame Foundation conducted an online auction. To support this effort Tim donated the creation of an 18” x 24” painting. The winning bidder challenged Tim to create a piece that would illustrate the entire 50 year history of space exploration. They soon realized that the scope of the painting required a larger canvas. After researching the idea it was decided that it could be done on a 48” x 24” canvas. The painting became “Past Is Prologue” – Celebrating 50 Years of America in Space.
Tim has also designed a ten-part series of patches to “Celebrate 50 years of America in Space.” The first patch which is the 50th anniversary patch has been shown on the NBC Television Series: “Law & Order SVU” and has also flown in space. The designs which range in size from 4″ to 12″ cover the range of human exploration from Project Mercury to the International Space Station. While not widely distributed they have been well received by all who have seen them.
Over the last six years, Tim has continued to build a reputation as someone easy to work with and increasingly in demand.