NASA's first logo was the "Meatball" logo.
The "Meatball," officially known as the NASA insignia, was created in 1958 by George Neago, an Industrial Artist at Lockheed Missiles Division. James Modarelli supervised George Neago as the Manager of the Lockheed Missiles Division's Reports Department in 1958. The logo features a blue sphere representing Earth, stars representing space, a red chevron representing aeronautics, and an orbital path around the sphere. The red chevron is also a stylized version of the agency's name, NASA.
Here's a breakdown of the "Meatball" logo's components:
- Blue Sphere: Represents planet Earth.
- Stars: Symbolize outer space.
- Red Chevron: Depicts aeronautics and is a stylized wing shape, as well as the letters in NASA.
- Orbital Path: Circling the sphere, representing space travel.
While the "Meatball" remains an official NASA insignia, the agency also uses a more modern, streamlined logo known as the "Worm," which is simply the word "NASA" in a unique, sans-serif typeface. However, the "Meatball" holds the distinction of being the agency's original and initial logo.
