NASA "Meatball" Logo. NASA public domain image colelction.

First designed in 1959, this NASA seal has commonly been known as the "meatball" logo. After an official seal was designed, this emblem proposed by James Modarelli, the head of Lewis? Research Reports Division, was used as the more informal of the two. The sphere represents a planet, the stars symbolize space, and the red chevron signifies aeronautics (the latest design in hypersonic wings in 1959) with an orbiting spacecraft around the wing. Please see NASA "Meatball" Logo for more information.
NASA Identifier: GPN-2002-000195