Top 10 Most Sinister PSYOPS Mission Patches

In 1965, NASA began using cloth patches to identify each of its missions, meant to symbolize the crew and the objectives of the mission.  Each rocket launch has therefore a patch designed by crew members and the official design team and are proudly displayed on equipment and worn by NASA astronauts and other personnel affiliated with a particular manned or unmanned space mission.

Since then, other organizations involved in space travel and secret operations began using mission patches, including those that specialize in PSYOPS (psychological warfare): the CIA, the Department of Defense and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), etc. What does space have to do with psychological warfare? Spy satellites. The existence of the NRO was only declassified in 1992, but records show since its creation in 1960, NRO missions have launched dozens of secret spy satellites into space, collecting an incredible amount of information on the United States’ friends, enemies and citizens.

As it is nearly impossible to obtain information regarding these highly classified endeavours, mission patches offer a rare glimpse into the world of PSYOPS. Even if one is not well-versed in symbolism, it is easy to perceive a sinister “vibe” coming from the patch designs. Laced with strange symbols, ominous creatures, obscure latin phrases and even dark humor, these patches are a reminder that those wearing them might not be the most wholesome people on the planet.

The trailblazer in this area of research is Trevor Paglen, who, in 2008, published the book I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me: Emblems from the Pentagon’s Black World, where through hundreds of Freedom of Information requests he obtained and analyzed forty mission patches. From the book reviews: