Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Credit: NASA History Office

From the NASA History Program Office, a new monograph in aerospace history is available that’s a fascinating read.

Emblems of Exploration: Logos of the NACA and NASA has been written by Joseph R. Chambers and Mark A. Chambers.

From Emblems of Exploration: Logos of the NACA and NASA.

This publication concentrates on the rich and interesting history of the conception and implementation of the world-famous NACA and NASA seals and insignias that have been displayed for decades on aeronautics and space research vehicles and facilities, as well as those proudly worn by flight research pilots, astronauts, and the dedicated employees of these two world-class organizations.

NASA seal

But those decades have also been marked by high-sign hullabaloo.

Admired symbol

As the authors note: “The logos became an intimate, ever-present component of activities as NASA achieved the necessary stepping-stones for travel to the Moon during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs,” they write.

NASA meatball

“The meatball insignia, in particular, became a publicly admired symbol as the nation raced to meet a seemingly impossible schedule for a Moon landing imposed by a President with his eyes on the stars and the immediate Soviet threat.”

Enter the worm

The NASA meatball was retired in 1975 by the artistic worm logotype insignia, “much to the dismay of many NASA employees,” they add.

NASA worm

But NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin retired the worm and brought back the meatball in 1992, “as a reminder of the glory days of the Agency to improve the morale of employees, the logo was welcomed back by many veteran NASA employees,” the authors explain.

For a free downloadable E-book of the monograph, go to:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/emblems_of_exploration_detail.html

Special thanks to Debi Shoots/ODRSO Science Department for calling this report to my attention!