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NASA insignia

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NASA insignia
Original 1959 NASA seal, rendered in black and white
1959 NASA seal, black and white
A blue sphere with stars, a yellow planet with a white moon; a red chevron representing wings, and an orbiting spacecraft; surrounded by a white border with "NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION U.S.A." in red letters
1961 NASA seal, color
A blue sphere with stars, white letters N-A-S-A in Helvetica font; a red chevron representing wings, and an orbiting spacecraft
NASA "meatball" insignia, primary logo 1959–1975, 1992–present
A red line forming stylized letters N-A-S-A
NASA "worm" logotype 1975–1992, re-instated as a secondary logo in 2020

The NASA has three official insignia, although the one with stylized red curved text (the "worm") was retired from official use from May 22, 1992, until April 3, 2020, when it was reinstated as a secondary logo. The three logos include the NASA insignia (also known as the "meatball"[1]), the NASA logotype (also known as the "worm"), and the NASA seal.[2][3][4]

History

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The NASA logo dates from 1959, when the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) transformed into an agency that advanced both astronautics and aeronautics—the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Seal

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The NASA seal was created in 1958 by George Neago, a staff industrial artist who worked at the Lockheed Missiles Division in Palo Alto, California. James Modarelli was the manager of the Lockheed Missiles Division's Reports Department in 1958 and Neago's supervisor. Modarelli later joined NASA to become the manager of the Reports Division at NASA's Lewis Research Center, where he later retired.

The "meatball" design was selected by U.S. federal government staff as the winning entry submitted by Lockheed Corporation, Neago, and Modarelli in a private industrial graphics logo competition sponsored by the federal government in 1958, before NASA became an official federal government agency.

The NASA seal was approved with an executive order by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959, and slightly modified with an executive order by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.[5][6]

In the seal, the yellow sphere represents a planet, the stars represent space, the red chevron is a wing representing aeronautics (the latest design in hypersonic wings at the time the logo was developed), and the white arc represents the path of an orbiting spacecraft.

It is known officially as the "NASA Administrator's Seal" and is typically only used for official correspondence, events and activities connected with the Administrator of NASA.[7]

Meatball

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Before the seal was officially approved by the U.S. federal government, the first NASA Administrator, Dr. T. Keith Glennan, asked Modarelli to design a simplified version of the seal for informal uses such as signs and badges. This design process was done in conjunction with the finalization of the official seal.[8] The insignia removes the outer ring and two inner spheres of the seal, and leaves the white stars, orbital path, and red vector on a field of blue with the letters "NASA".

This insignia received the nickname of the "meatball" in 1975 from Frank Rowsome, head of technical publications at NASA Headquarters, to differentiate it from the new logotype.[8] The term "meatball" in aeronautics comes from the appearance of the "meatball of light" seen in a mirror by pilots using the optical landing system.[1]

Worm

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In 1974, as part of the Federal Graphics Improvement Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, NASA hired Richard Danne and Bruce Blackburn to design a more modern logo.[9] In 1975, the agency switched to the modernist NASA logotype, a red, stylized rendering of the letters N-A-S-A.[10] The horizontal bars on the "A"s are removed in the logotype, with the negative space within each of them suggesting the tip of a rocket.[11][12] The logotype was derogatorily nicknamed the "worm" by employees who preferred the old insignia.[8]

Danne and Blackburn published a Graphics Standards Manual that would become well respected among graphic designers. A 2015 Kickstarter project raised nearly $1 million to reissue a hardcover version of the manual.[13][14] NASA also released a scanned version of the manual.

Reinstatement of the insignia

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The NASA logotype was retired from official use on May 22, 1992[9] by incoming NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin, who revived the meatball insignia to boost morale among the sizeable population of employees who never accepted the worm logotype.[8]

The worm was used only for commercial merchandising purposes approved by NASA until 2020, when it was also brought out of retirement by Administrator Jim Bridenstine, and unveiled on the booster for SpaceX's Crew-Demo 2 Mission.[15][16] NASA now allows the logotype to be used as a supplemental graphic to the meatball when appropriate and approved by leadership.[7] The logotype may continue to appear on its own on commercial merchandise.

The 2020 rollout of Crew Demo-2 marking the revival of "the worm" typeface.

Usage regulation

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NASA insignia visible on Space Shuttle Endeavour, 2007

The official NASA seal is reserved for use in connection with the NASA Administrator. It is used in more formal traditional and ceremonial events such as award presentations and press conferences. According to NASA Headquarters, the seal should never be used with the NASA insignia, since the two elements are intended for different purposes and are visually incompatible when seen side by side.

Since its reintroduction in 2020, the "worm" logotype has been used only for human spaceflight-related activities,[citation needed] featuring prominently on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station and on the Solid Rocket Boosters of the SLS rocket used for the Artemis I mission.

The insignia, the "worm" logo and the NASA seal are not in the public domain.[17] Their usage is restricted under Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 1221.[18] These NASA emblems should be reproduced only from original reproduction proofs, transparencies, or computer files available from NASA Headquarters.

The colors used in the insignia are the following:[19]

The red color used for the logotype is          Pantone 179; HEX #E03C31.[8]

Popularity

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The NASA logos have been popular and used in popular culture, most notably in Star Trek as an inspiration for its symbols,[20][21][22] and particular in US-American culture it has been representing the capability and identity of the United States.[23] Especially since 2017, NASA insignia have become popular fashion elements, after the fashion company Coach received permission for using the then-retired "worm" logo on a line of purses and clothing. After that, additional companies have used the "worm" logo in their designs, and NASA has reintroduced its official use.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Garber, Steve. "NASA "Meatball" Logo". NASA History Program Office. NASA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  2. ^ Ellen Lupton (1996). Mixing Messages: Graphic Design in Contemporary American Culture. Princeton Architectural. ISBN 156898099X.
  3. ^ NASA takes 'meatball' over 'worm' Archived 2018-10-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Roanoke Times, (May 24, 1992).
  4. ^ "Rover's stunning image of lander". BBC News. 2004-01-21. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
  5. ^ Executive Order 10849 (Wikisource)
  6. ^ Executive Order 10942 (Wikisource)
  7. ^ a b "NASA Brand Guidelines". Retrieved 2024-08-20.
  8. ^ a b c d e Chambers, Joseph R.; Chambers, Mark A. (2015). Emblems of exploration: logos of the NACA and NASA. Monographs in aerospace history. Washington, DC: NASA. ISBN 978-1-62683-028-8.
  9. ^ a b Greenbaum, Hilary (August 3, 2011). "Who Made Those NASA Logos?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  10. ^ "History of the Insignia". NASA. Archived from the original on 2005-04-04.
  11. ^ "NASA logo evolution: meatball vs worm". Logo Design Love. 2011-08-03. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  12. ^ "Logos With Words: The Delicate Relationship Of Fonts As A Logo | LOGO.com". logo.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  13. ^ Brewer, Jenny (12 April 2016). "Nasa Graphics Standards Manual Reissue now on general release". itsnicethat. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
  14. ^ Danne, Richard; Blackburn, Bruce; Bonanos, Christopher; Reed, Jesse; Smyth, Hamish; USA, eds. (2015). National Aeronautics and Space Administration graphics standards manual: NASA. New York: Standards Manual. ISBN 978-0-692-58653-2.
  15. ^ Dunbar, Brian. "The Worm is Back!". NASA. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  16. ^ Chang, Kenneth (8 April 2020). "NASA's 'Worm' Logo Will Return to Space – The new old logo, dropped in the 1990s in favor of a more vintage brand, will adorn a SpaceX rocket that is to carry astronauts to the space station in May". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Media Usage Guidelines". National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 1221". Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  19. ^ "NASAstyle FULL GUIDE – NASA StyleGuide" (PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). November 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  20. ^ Cooley, John (2023-07-24). "The Starfleet Insignia Explained". Star Trek. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  21. ^ Burrows, Jillian Ada (2020-05-20). "Star Trek or US Space Force?. Let us settle this debate once and for… — Jill Burrows". Medium. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  22. ^ "Emblem-atic". FACT TREK. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  23. ^ a b Wattles, Jackie (2022-07-23). "Why everyone's wearing NASA-branded clothes". CNN. Retrieved 2023-10-14.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from NASA 'Meatball' Logo. United States Government.

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