NASA insignia

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) insignia has three main official designs, 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]

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 seal was approved by President Eisenhower in 1959, and slightly modified by President Kennedy in 1961.[5][6]

History

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.

NASA seal

In the NASA insignia design, the 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 then the orbiting spacecraft going around the wing. It is known officially as the insignia.[7]

NASA "meatball" insignia

After a NASA Lewis Research Center illustrator's design was chosen for the new agency's official seal, the executive secretary of NASA asked James Modarelli, the head of Reports Division at Lewis Research Center, to design a logo that could be used for less formal purposes. Modarelli simplified the seal, leaving only the white stars and orbital path on a round field of blue with a red vector. He then added white N-A-S-A lettering.

George Neago created the original NASA "Meatball" logo selected and applied by NASA from 1958-63. Working as an industrial artist for the Lockheed Corporation's Missile Division in Palo Alto, California (a US Government and NASA contractor) from the mid-1950s to the 1990s, his graphics logo was selected in a graphics competition as the winning entry. James Modarelli was the Reports Department Manager at Lockheed, who supervised George Neago when George created the NASA graphics logo. This 1958-63 silver/medium blue logo design did not include the "Red Vector" that later appeared in the 1963 when NASA and Lockheed Managers decided the logo needed an "update" (without George Neago's knowledge or permission) to promote renewed public interest in NASA.[1]

NASA "worm" logotype

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.[7] In 1975, the agency switched to the modernist NASA logotype, nicknamed "the worm", a red, stylized rendering of the letters N-A-S-A.[8] The horizontal bars on the "A"s are removed in the worm logo, with the negative space within each of them suggesting the tip of a rocket.[9][10]

The NASA logotype was retired from official use on May 22, 1992[7] by NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin. The design was used only for special occasions and commercial merchandising purposes approved by the Visual Identity Coordinator at NASA Headquarters until 2020, when it was brought out of retirement by administrator Jim Bridenstine, and unveiled on the booster for SpaceX's Crew-Demo 2 Mission.[11][12]

As of 2020, the "worm" logotype – in a medium blue instead of red – is part of the branding of the NASA Federal Credit Union.[13] For the 2022 Major League Baseball season, the Houston Astros introduced an alternate space-themed uniform as part of the league's City Connect program, with "Space City" rendered in the "worm" logotype in place of the team's name on the jersey front, and numerals and player nameplate in the same font.[14]

Usage regulation
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, 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.

Like most images produced by the United States Government, the insignia, the "worm" logo and the NASA seal are in the public domain.[15] However, their usage is restricted under Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 1221.[16] These NASA emblems should be reproduced only from original reproduction proofs, transparencies, or computer files available from NASA Headquarters.

The colors used in the logo are the following:[17]

Popularity

The NASA logos have been popular and used in popular culture, most notably in Star Trek as an inspiration for its symbols,[18][19][20] and particular in US-American culture it has been representing the capability and identity of the United States.[21] Especially since 2017, NASA insignia have become popular fashion elements, after the fashion company Coach got the permission for using the then not anymore officially used "worm" logo and released a line of clothes with it. After that, many more companies have started including the free-of-charge usable logo into their clothe designs, and even NASA has reintroduced its use.[21]

See also

References
  1. 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. 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.
  8. "History of the Insignia". NASA. Archived from the original on 2005-04-04.
  9. "NASA logo evolution: meatball vs worm". Logo Design Love. 2011-08-03. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  10. "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.
  11. Dunbar, Brian. "The Worm is Back!". NASA. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. 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.
  13. "NASA Federal Credit Union". Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2018-05-10.
  14. "Astros reveal space-themed City Connect unis". Houston Astros. MLB Advanced Media. April 10, 2022. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  15. "Media Usage Guidelines". National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  16. "Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 1221". Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  17. "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.
  18. Cooley, John (2023-07-24). "The Starfleet Insignia Explained". Star Trek. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  19. 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.
  20. "Emblem-atic". FACT TREK. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  21. Wattles, Jackie (2022-07-23). "Why everyone's wearing NASA-branded clothes". CNN. Retrieved 2023-10-14.

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