The Story Behind the Margaritaville Mission Patch Inspired by Jimmy Buffett

By Patrick O’Neill, Public Affairs and Outreach Lead, ISS National Lab

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. December 28, 2018, visiting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida with my parents (shameless plug: if you haven’t taken your family there, go!). I was standing next to the International Space Station (ISS) exhibit (naturally) when my phone “pinged” with an email.

It was right after the holidays, and being on vacation, things were slow. I decided to check my phone while my parents explored further. The email came from a “unique” address referencing—of all people—Bob Marley. Interesting. Then again, as the PR person for a laboratory in space, I’ve received some unusual emails over the years, so I kept reading.

The sender mentioned spending the holidays in St. Barts (tough life) and recently getting a Celestron 8 telescope to look at stars, satellites, and even the Southern Cross. That last part caught my attention. Southern Cross? I’ve heard that in a certain songwriter’s lyrics… Then came the next line:

“So, of course I want to do the patch.”

That’s when it hit me. Holy moly! This was Jimmy Buffett.

I stood there, stunned, reading the rest of the email like a kid opening a holiday gift. My parents walked up, saw my expression, and asked why I looked so shocked. “You’re not going to believe who just emailed me…” I showed them. They had the same look I did. Wow.

For years, I’ve had the privilege of working with unique partners to create mission patches that spark interest in the research enabled by the ISS National Lab. We’ve had some fun collaborations, working on patches with Marvel Entertainment (featuring Rocket and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy – which also led to a STEM challenge), Lucasfilm (Star Wars), Ridley Scott, and others.

But this one felt different. We had big dreams.

Many moons have passed since that initial email. There were starts and stops, largely due to the ever-changing priorities of the space industry and the ISS National Lab. Sadly, Jimmy Buffett, after a long battle with cancer, gave way to the stars in 2023. But great ideas never truly fade, which makes this week, nearly six years later, a special moment.

This past Wednesday, Margaritaville, the lifestyle brand Jimmy created, announced a first-of-its-kind mission patch based on his original design. What makes this patch unique? It’s the first patch sold to the public where all proceeds will be donated to the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space®, manager of the ISS National Lab, to fund research and development on the space station aimed at improving life on Earth.

Jimmy wrote in that email:

“I have always been a believer in the notion that space exploration is in our DNA and is the source of so much technology that can make our lives on this planet better.”

His words reflect a vision that continues to inspire. Jimmy’s legacy lives on through his music, storytelling, the Margaritaville community—and now through this mission patch, which carries the potential to make an imprint on space research for generations to come.

The ISS National Lab is deeply grateful to the Margaritaville team for honoring Jimmy’s dream and donating proceeds from patch sales to advance research on the space station. These efforts benefit life on Earth and unlock new possibilities for humanity.

To learn more about this unique collaboration, visit Margaritaville’s ISS National Lab collection.

And as Jimmy reminded us at the conclusion of his email that day:

“We are of the stars.”