No time machine required. NASA is bringing back its sleek “Worm” logo, which represented them from 1975 – 1992, and thereafter, on select merchandise. All just in time to send the Falcon 9 into space as part of the Demo-2 flight, now scheduled for mid-May.
Gen X-ers, rejoice; the NASA logo of your childhood is returning from retirement! Forget about those unfortunate MC Hammer pants or that one year you convinced your mom to let you get a home perm. NASA has that memory beat, with the ultimate nostalgia trip for anyone who grew up dreaming of space camp. Let’s face it, from Coca-Cola to MTV, the ’80s just had cooler logos. NASA’s Regan Era logo wasn’t just slick, this stellar design has a whole bunch of out of this world history that every geek in the galaxy should know about.
5 Cool Facts About NASA’s Retro Logo:
- The sleek, minimalist logo is the result of a 90-page graphic design manual. The NASA Graphic Standards Manual took ten years to complete and includes stringent guidelines on everything from typefaces to how the logo should appear on mailing labels, motor vehicles and from outer space!
- It gets its nickname, “The Worm”, from its joined S and A, but the zig-zag shape is really supposed to evoke the nose of a rocket.
- The designers at NASA sure love their nicknames, The Worm was designed to replace NASA’s original logo, affectionately known as, “The Meatball.” The Meatball had previously been king since 1959.
- The Worm has been revived to represent the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket, manufactured by Space X, which is scheduled for another flight in mid-May of 2020. The Falcon 9 is the first orbital-class rocket capable of re-flight. Anyone who has ever dreamed of life on another planet should take note, as Space X believes that a reusable rocket could help make space travel affordable. The possibility of colonizing other planets could be closer than ever!
- NASA seems to have a case of sibling rivalry when it comes to logos. Although The Worm replaced The Meatball in 1974, many folks at NASA thought it was ugly, so in 1992 they brought The Meatball back. Purists will rejoice in knowing that although the Worm is returning for the Falcon 9 Mission, The Meatball will remain an official NASA logo.
