Different NASA Logos: Brief History And Meanings

Logo Credits: NASA, Background image: Pixabay

Almost everyone is very curious about the stars, planets, and universe. The human race has been continuously gathering a lot of information about space and astronomy for centuries. But it seems an infinite amount of information is still waiting to be discovered. Many countries and space organizations have made tremendous progress in the field. But one space organization at the forefront of all is NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the space agency from the land of the United States of America. In this article, we will learn about the different logos of NASA and their meanings.

There are three main logos that are associated with NASA: 1) the NASA seal, 2) The NASA ‘meatball’ logo, and 3) the NASA ‘worm’ logo. The pictures and details of all three logos are given below. Let us see a bit of the history of NASA logos and their meanings.

NASA Seal Logo

Before NASA, there was NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). NACA was formed in 1915 and soon became a leading research organization in aeronautics and the new field of astronautics. Later, NACA passed the torch to NASA, which was formed in 1958.

The main reason for the formation of NASA was the ‘Sputnik Crisis’ (public fear and anxiety among the western nations about the perceived technological gap between the United States and the Soviet, caused by the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite).

So once NASA was founded, being a federal agency, it needed a seal, and thus the below one was created. The NASA seal is used for formal agency events such as award presentations and ceremonies.

Credits: NASA

The NASA seal is round in shape with the full NASA name spread around the outer ring. While inside the ring are four main things:

a) a sphere, representing a planet;

b) the stars, representing space;

c) the red chevron (the red V-shaped form for wing), representing aeronautics (the wing shape was inspired by the latest design in hypersonic wings at the time the logo was developed); and

d) the orbiting spacecraft, representing space travel.

NASA Meatball logo

In addition to the NASA seal (the insignia), NASA needed another official symbol to be the everyday face of NASA, i.e., to be used for less formal purposes. So in 1959, James Modarelli, the head of the Reports Division of the NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center, was asked to design the less formal logo.

Credits: NASA

Mr. Modarelli simplified the NASA seal design, keeping only the white stars, the red chevron wing, and the orbiting spacecraft with a blue circle in the background. And added the letters NASA in the middle.

Again the four things in the logo represent the same things as in the seal:

a) the blue sphere represents the planet;

b) the white stars, represent space;

c) the red chevron (V-shaped wing) represents aeronautics; and

d) the circular orbit around the word ‘NASA’ represents space travel.

The meatball logo can be seen on spacecraft, airplanes, spacesuits, buildings, ground vehicles, the NASA homepage, etc. Even Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit had the meatball logo as he became the first man to step on the moon on July 20, 1969.

The word ‘meatball’ means a ball of ground or chopped raw or cooked meat with added seasonings. Maybe the way the logo looks made it famous as the meatball logo. It was not called the ‘meatball’ until 1975, when NASA introduced the new worm logo.

In the 1970s, the “meatball” was considered a problematic logo to reproduce and print, and many people thought it a complicated metaphor. The ‘worm’ logo was simpler and easy to reproduce and print.

The meatball featured from 1959 to 1975. From 1975 till 1992, the NASA ‘worm’ logo was used. And then again, in 1992, ‘the meatball’ was brought back to invoke memories of the one-giant-leap-for-mankind glory of Apollo and to show that the “magic was back at NASA.”

NASA Worm Logo

In 1974, NASA hired the firm run by Richard Danne and Bruce Blackburn to design a more modern logo. The worm logo is a simple red, stylized rendering of the letters N-A-S-A.

Credits: NASA

The ‘worm’ logo was honored in 1984 by President Ronald Reagen for its simplistic yet innovative design. However, in 1992, ‘the worm’ design was retired- except on souvenir clothing and items.

But in April 2020, NASA announced that ‘the worm’ logo is back. The worm logo is now seen on the new modern spacesuits, on the side of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle, etc.

Thus it seems the logo was not actually retired in 1992. It was just waiting for its turn back to feature in the new phase of space exploration.

NASA also assured that ‘the meatball’ is not going anywhere and that it will continue to remain NASA’s primary symbol.

Apart from these main logos, NASA also has project-specific logos or mission-specific patches. Also, the agency designs symbols for special occasions, such as the 60th anniversary of NASA in 2018.

Alright, that was the summary of the three NASA logos, their history, and their meanings. We are sure next time you notice any NASA logo, you will see it differently and gaze a little longer to recall all the things we learned today. Share your thoughts, nostalgia, or any more interesting information about the NASA logos in the comments below.

Source:

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/symbols-of-nasa.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA#History

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-worm-is-back

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Vipul B: Lives in Maharashtra, India. Interested in so many things ranging from the law of attraction to the stock market, from sports to technology, and from nature to astronomy.
Living a life inspired mostly by gut instincts. Regular meditator.

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Different NASA Logos: Brief History And Meanings

NASA Seal Logo

NASA Meatball logo