NASA insignia#NASA seal

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.

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.Executive Order 10849 (Wikisource)Executive Order 10942 (Wikisource)

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.{{Cite web |title=NASA Brand Guidelines |url=https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/brand-guidelines/ |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=nasa.gov |language=en-US}}

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.{{Cite book |last1=Chambers |first1=Joseph R. |title=Emblems of exploration: logos of the NACA and NASA |last2=Chambers |first2=Mark A. |date=2015 |publisher=NASA |isbn=978-1-62683-028-8 |series=Monographs in aerospace history |location=Washington, DC}} 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. 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.

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.{{cite news |last=Greenbaum |first=Hilary |date=August 3, 2011 |title=Who Made Those NASA Logos? |url=http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/who-made-those-nasa-logos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916042431/http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/who-made-those-nasa-logos/ |archive-date=September 16, 2011 |access-date=August 3, 2011 |work=The New York Times}} In 1975, the agency switched to the modernist NASA logotype, a red, stylized rendering of the letters N-A-S-A.{{cite web|title=History of the Insignia|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/insignia/text/insignia.html|publisher=NASA|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404130048/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/insignia/text/insignia.html|archive-date=2005-04-04}} 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.{{Cite web|date=2011-08-03|title=NASA logo evolution: meatball vs worm|url=https://www.logodesignlove.com/nasa-logo|access-date=2021-11-28|website=Logo Design Love|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128021811/https://www.logodesignlove.com/nasa-logo|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Logos With Words: The Delicate Relationship Of Fonts As A Logo {{!}} LOGO.com|url=https://logo.com/blog/logos-with-words|access-date=2021-11-28|website=logo.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-11-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128021811/https://logo.com/blog/logos-with-words|url-status=live}} The logotype was derogatorily nicknamed the "worm" by employees who preferred the old insignia.

Danne and Blackburn published a Graphics Standards Manual that would become well respected among graphic designers.{{Cite web |title=NASA Graphics Standards Manual - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-graphics-standards-manual/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |language=en-US}} A 2015 Kickstarter project raised nearly $1 million to reissue a hardcover version of the manual.{{Cite web |last=Brewer |first=Jenny |date=12 April 2016 |title=Nasa Graphics Standards Manual Reissue now on general release |url=https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/nasa-graphics-standards-manual-reissue-general-release-130416 |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=itsnicethat |language=en}}{{Cite book |title=National Aeronautics and Space Administration graphics standards manual: NASA |date=2015 |publisher=Standards Manual |isbn=978-0-692-58653-2 |editor-last=Danne |editor-first=Richard |location=New York |editor-last2=Blackburn |editor-first2=Bruce |editor-last3=Bonanos |editor-first3=Christopher |editor-last4=Reed |editor-first4=Jesse |editor-last5=Smyth |editor-first5=Hamish |editor-last6=USA}} NASA also released a scanned version of the manual.[https://www3.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/nasa_graphics_manual_nhb_1430-2_jan_1976.pdf National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Graphics Standards Manual, NHB 1430.2] (January, 1976)

In 2025, the NASA worm logo was included in Pirouette: Turning Points in Design, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art featuring "widely recognized design icons [...] highlighting pivotal moments in design history."{{Cite web |date=2025-01-23 |title=NASA Worm as Art, Museum of Modern Art Opens Exhibition Featuring NASA Worm |url=https://www.nasa.gov/get-involved/art-program/museum-of-modern-art-exhibits-nasa-worm/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=NASA |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Bruce Blackburn, Richard Danne. NASA logo. 1976 |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/467589?artist_id=8081&page=1&sov_referrer=artist |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=The Museum of Modern Art}}

The NASA logotype was retired from official use on May 22, 1992 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.

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.{{cite web |last1=Dunbar |first1=Brian |title=The Worm is Back! |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-worm-is-back |website=NASA |date=2 April 2020 |access-date=2 April 2020 |archive-date=2 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402173614/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-worm-is-back |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=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. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/science/nasa-logo-worm-spacex.html |date=8 April 2020 |work=The New York Times |access-date=8 April 2020 |archive-date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027203512/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/science/nasa-logo-worm-spacex.html |url-status=live }} NASA now allows the logotype to be used as a supplemental graphic to the meatball when appropriate and approved by leadership. The logotype may continue to appear on its own on commercial merchandise.

File:SpaceX Demo-2 Rollout (NHQ202005210001).jpg marking the revival of "the worm" typeface.]]

File:STS-118 approaching ISS.jpg, 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|date=November 2022}} 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.{{cite web|title=Media Usage Guidelines|url=https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/|website=National Aeronautic and Space Administration|access-date=29 September 2024|archive-date=24 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924063240/https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/|url-status=live}} Their usage is restricted under Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 1221.{{cite web |url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/14cfr1221_07.html |title=Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR 1221 |access-date=2007-11-21 |archive-date=2012-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206181607/http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/14cfr1221_07.html |url-status=live }} 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:{{cite web |url=https://users.cs.jmu.edu/bernstdh/web/common/policies/NASA_StyleGuide_Nov06.pdf |title=NASAstyle FULL GUIDE – NASA StyleGuide |publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |date=November 2006 |access-date=2017-06-05 |archive-date=2020-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112040610/https://users.cs.jmu.edu/bernstdh/web/common/policies/NASA_StyleGuide_Nov06.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-break}}

Red {{color test|#FC3D21}}

• Pantone 185
• Process 0C, 100M, 100Y, 0K
• RGB 252R, 61G, 33B
• HEX #FC3D21

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Blue {{color test|#0B3D91}}

• Pantone 286
• Process 100C, 060M, 0Y, 0K
• RGB 11R, 61G, 145B
• HEX #0B3D91

{{col-end}}

The red color used for the logotype is {{color test|#E03C31}} Pantone 179; HEX #E03C31.

The NASA logos have been popular insignias and have been used widely in popular culture, most notably in Star Trek as an inspiration for its symbols,{{cite web | last=Cooley | first=John | title=The Starfleet Insignia Explained | website=Star Trek | date=2023-07-24 | url=https://www.startrek.com/news/starfleet-insignia-explained | access-date=2023-10-14}}{{cite web | last=Burrows | first=Jillian Ada | title=Star Trek or US Space Force?. Let us settle this debate once and for… — Jill Burrows | website=Medium | date=2020-05-20 | url=https://medium.com/jill-burrows/star-trek-or-us-space-force-251a7494ad5f | access-date=2023-10-14}}{{cite web | title=Emblem-atic | website=FACT TREK | date=2021-10-06 | url=https://www.facttrek.com/blog/emblematic | access-date=2023-10-14}} and particularly as an icon in American culture, representing the United States and its capabilities in space. 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.{{cite web |last=Wattles |first=Jackie |date=2022-07-23 |title=Why everyone's wearing NASA-branded clothes |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/23/tech/nasa-apparel-popularity-space/index.html |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=CNN}}

• Space Force Delta
• Seal of the United States Space Force
• Flag of the United States Space Force
• List of works in the Museum of Modern Art

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{{USGovernment|url=https://history.nasa.gov/meatball.htm|title=NASA 'Meatball' Logo}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.worldwidetechnologies.info/2022/09/history-of-nasa.html History of NASA]
• [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/style/tmagazine/08rawsthorn.html Art of the Seal, New York Times 2009-03-08]
• [https://www.grapheine.com/en/graphic-design-en/nasa-logo The history of the meatball vs the worm]
• [https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nasa_graphics_manual_nhb_1430-2_jan_1976.pdf 1976 NASA Graphics Standards Manual], written shortly after the introduction of the worm logotype

{{NASA space program|state=collapsed}}

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Logo

Category:Logos

Category:Insignia

Category:Collection of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City)