Per ardua ad astra is a Latin phrase from Earth, translated into English as either "through adversity to the stars" or "through struggle to the stars."
Various air forces predating World War III, notably the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, employed this Latin phrase as their motto. Its adoption as a motto by a flying corps dates back to 1912 CE by the Royal Flying Corps, when Colonel Frederick Sykes solicited suggestions to produce espirit de corps (morale) for those assigned to the Flying Corps.
Over 500 years later, it is adopted by Searcher, an Earth Defense Directorate vessel, in 2492 CE. The phrase not only adorns the primary dome at the ship's fore under the ship's name, but also is affixed via an arched, semi-circular patch to upper arms of crewmember's uniforms (BR25: "Time of the Hawk").
External Links
- Per ardua ad astra article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.