The 46 icon in the foreground of the Expedition 46 patch represents the forty-sixth expeditionary mission to the International Space Station. The graphic portrays the limb of the home planet, Earth, with the black vastness of space in the background. Earth is depicted at the top with the flags of the countries of origin of the crew members: the United States of America, Russia and the United Kingdom. The flag of the U.K. is displayed in a position of prominence in recognition of the significance of the first British astronaut flown in space for the European Space Agency. The outer border is in the shape of a triangle with an unbroken border, symbolizing the infinite journey of discovery for past, present and future space explorers. The names of the six Expedition 46 astronauts and cosmonauts are shown in the border.